Dangerous Liaisons
by Klaus' Vampire Barbie
Summary: When Caroline Forbes sets foot in the birth place of jazz, she isn't there for a holiday. She is undercover, posing as a bar performer and preparing to take down the infamous assassin of New Orleans. She thinks she just needs to find the assassin and kill him, but there is more going on in New Orleans than she thought. Klaroline & Kalijah. AU/AH.
1. Undercover

**Hi all! I was going to keep myself from posting this story until I've finished _Pictures Of You_ and started up _Charge 2_ but I couldn't help myself. I spent a whole day yesterday just plotting this story out and I was too excited once I finished writing the first chapter, so here it is! This is a multi-chapter story and it's going to be fun to write! Stick around and check it out! **

**Chapter 1: _Undercover_**

* * *

Caroline stared at her reflection in the mirror in her dressing room. She could always feel the pre-show nerves. She had been performing at the bar Black Magic for about a week now. It wasn't a real job for her. It was for her cover up story in case she had to speak with people and they asked about her life. The story she would tell them was that she moved to New Orleans with her friend Katherine for a fresh start to escape all the hustle and bustle of New York City. She used to be a performer at a little bar called Jolene's, but now she wanted something with more life. Katherine's story was that she was getting over a horrible break up and needed a new scenery, so she came with Caroline to New Orleans and found a simple job as a barista at a café.

It would have been the normal life of a woman, but their lives were anything but normal. Their real lives consisted of going undercover to investigate and take out criminals from society. They were to stop any kind of law breakers their chief Alaric could find, and they were to do it as efficiently as possible.

Caroline blinked a few times to stop the blurriness in her eyes. The lights in the dressing room were too bright. She could see her reflection clearly again and she raked over her appearance. She wore a short red tasselled dress that looked like it belonged in the twenties and her hair was styled as such too. She had little make up on except for a neat stroke of eyeliner to give her look that extra elegance it desired.

Caroline looked over the list of songs she had been given to perform that night. She was glad to see there was a mix of old and modern music, and she almost squealed when she noticed that she would be opening with a Christina Aguilera song. The music list was of songs that generally needed a brass band to play them and mostly stuck with the whole New Orleans feel of jazz and blues.

"Caroline, we're ready for you." April said from the doorway and Caroline gave her a nod.

"Okay, thanks April." She said and April promptly left. Caroline turned back to her reflection and took a deep breath. "Okay Caroline. You can do this. Get over the nerves. You've done it before, you can do it again."

She stood up from her chair and headed through the door April had left through. She made her way onto the stage and stood in position in front of the microphone in the dark. She prepared herself for the lights to switch on and expose her to the bar full of people. She waited for her cue and felt the butterflies go crazy in her stomach when she heard April's voice through her own microphone, letting everyone know that the performance was about to start.

"Thanks for all coming tonight to Black Magic everyone! If you were here last night, then I'm sure you would remember the brilliant performance we got to witness, am I right?"

Caroline heard rumbles of cheering around the bar. She had to take another deep breath to calm herself.

"Well guess what? Caroline Forbes is back!"

Another loud rumble of cheering. Another deep breath.

"I'm sure we can all agree that her voice is better to listen to than even the best DJ around. She puts the soul into the music!"

_God damn it Caroline, just breathe!_

"Tonight, she is going to kick us all off with a real party starter by Christina Aguilera. Without further ado, let's give it up for Caroline!"

The crowd cheered and fell silent as she started the beginning of the song in a low voice with her backup singers.

"Tarzan and Jane were swingin' on a vine.  
Candy man, candy man.  
Sippin' from a bottle of vodka double wine.  
Sweet sugar candy man."

The lights lit up and illuminated her, causing the whole bar to erupt into cheers. She could barely see the audience because the lights were so bright, but by the sound of all the voices and the loud echoes around the bar, the place was packed. The music picked up as she continued.

"I met him out for dinner on a Friday night.  
He really got me working up an appetite.  
He had tattoos up and down his arm.  
There's nothing more dangerous than a boy with charm.

He's a one stop shop, makes my panties drop.  
He's a sweet talkin' sugar coated candy man.  
A sweet talkin' sugar coated candy man.

Ooh, yeah!"

The crowd went wild as she started hitting the high notes as the song went on. The more they cheered and the further she got into the song, the more she was enjoying it and getting into the performance. She took the microphone off the stand and walked around the stage towards the front. She decided to go all out and chose a man right out the front to start dancing in front of, running her hands down her sides as she crouched down teasingly in front of the man then moving away before he had a chance to reach out to her. She couldn't help feeling a little smug as she continued around the stage.

"He took me to the Spider Club on Hollywood and Vine.  
We drank champagne and we danced all night.  
We shook the paparazzi for a big surprise.  
The gossip tonight will be tomorrow's headline.

He's a one stop shop, makes my cherry pop.  
He's a sweet talkin' sugar coated candy man.  
A sweet talkin' sugar coated candy man.

He's a one stop shop, makes my cherry pop.  
He's a sweet talkin' sugar coated candy man.  
A sweet talkin' sugar coated candy man.

Ooh, yeah!"

She managed to find her way from the stage and onto a table in the crowd, walking in her bright red heels from table to table. Everyone was going nuts, even the bartenders Matt and April behind the bar. She even saw the owner of the bar, Kol, enjoying the performance from behind the bar where he had been tending the bar with his workers.

"Well, by now I'm getting all bothered and hot.  
When he kissed my mouth it really hit the spot.  
He had lips like sugarcane!  
Good things come for boys who wait."

The beat dropped low again and she lowered her voice to a whisper to go with the music as the backup singers sung with her.

"Tarzan and Jane were swingin' on a vine.  
Candy man, candy man.  
Sippin' from a bottle of vodka double wine.  
Candy man, candy man.  
Sweet sugar candy man."

Now the backup singers stopped and handed the show back to Caroline. She slowly built the song back up, about to reach the much anticipated high note of the song that everyone always loved to belt out whenever they heard the song. She crouched down on the table and looked at all the audience members around her, encouraging them to sing it with her.

"He's a one stop, gotcha hot, making all the panties drop.  
Sweet sugar candy man.  
He's a one stop, got me hot, making my ugh pop.  
Sweet sugar candy man.  
He's a one stop, get it while it's hot, baby don't stop.  
Sweet sugar…"

She quickly stood up and threw her free arm out as she belted out the high note.

"He's got those lips like sugarcaaaannnneee!  
Good things come for boys who wait."

Everyone cheered the loudest she had ever heard as she continued the song, a large smile on her face.

"He's a one stop shop with a real big ugh.  
He's a sweet talkin' sugar coated candy man.  
A sweet talkin' sugar coated candy man.  
A sweet talkin' sugar coated candy man.  
A sweet talkin' sugar coated candy man.

Candy man, candy man, candy man, candy man,  
Candy man, candy man, candy man, candy man."

Then the lights went out. An uproar of cheering and clapping surrounded her as the entire crowd in the bar went wild. Caroline grinned as she tried to catch her breath, already tired from all the effort she put into that one performance. Then the next song started up and she made her way back to the stage, preparing for round two. Just because this wasn't her real job and she was undercover, it didn't mean that she wasn't allowed to enjoy it.

* * *

After an hour, Caroline had finished her set and was finally free to change into her own clothes and head into the crowded bar for a drink of her own. She made her way over to the bar and leaned over it with her arms folded. She smiled as Matt and Kol made their way over to her and they both high-fived her.

"That was one Hell of a performance, darling." Kol said and clapped a hand on Matt's shoulder. "Go get my little money maker a drink." He then turned back to her. "It's on the house, Caroline."

Caroline went to protest but he held a hand up to stop her. "Seriously. It's on the house. If it weren't for you performing here, my bar wouldn't be so successful. It's on me." He said with a smirk. It was more or less a cheeky one, one that said he liked to joke around. Caroline had become used to it over the past week, having been around him quite a bit since she came to New Orleans. He was the one who hired her to perform at his bar after all.

"Okay, alright. Thanks Kol."

"No worries darling. It's the least I could do."

Matt came back with her drink. It was in a wide round glass, filled with ice and had a slight yellow tinge to the liquid. She inhaled the smell and sighed. God, she loved Cosmopolitans. "And you guys know what I like to drink too." She laughed. "Thanks for the drink, Matt."

"Anytime Care."

"Alright," Kol clapped his hands together and rubbed them together, "Chat time over. Sorry darling, but I've got a bar to run. That means you too, Donovan."

They went back to work as Caroline sat there enjoying her refreshing lemon flavoured cocktail. She had originally tried Cosmopolitans purely because Carrie Bradshaw drank them in the film _Sex and the City_, but then Caroline had eventually become to love them so much, it became her drink of choice. Caroline had the fashion sense and the blonde hair too. She could be the real life Carrie Bradshaw if she wanted to. All she needed to do was live in Manhattan. Maybe she could do that after her assignment here in New Orleans. Her and Katherine could go to Manhattan and live there.

As she sat peacefully sipping on her drink, a man came and sat down next to her. Caroline could feel his eyes on her but she ignored him. She had dealt with this issue plenty of times, especially on the nights that she performed here at Black Magic. When the man spoke up and said "Hey beautiful," she released a deep sigh, not wanting to deal with it.

"What do you want?" she said dully, having a good idea of exactly what he wanted.

"Just to spend a little time with you."

"Well it's not going to happen."

"Don't say things you don't mean, gorgeous." He moved closer to her and she shuffled to the side.

"Piss off." She said bluntly but he still didn't take the hint.

"She said to piss off." Another female voice said from behind them. Caroline had to withhold her smile when she recognised the voice.

"Are you jealous, gorgeous? You are more than welcome to join us." The man said with hungry eyes. No, not hungry. Desperate. _Ugh_.

Katherine snorted. "God, no. I'd rather sleep in a pile of horse shit than spend ten minutes with you. Now piss off or I'll shove my heels up your arse."

"Kinky much?"

"Fuck off you sick bastard! I will personally get a chainsaw and cut your tongue out and your testicles off, feed your tongue to a pack of lions, make you swallow your own balls and then toss you into a tank of sharks! Now get the fuck away from my best friend, or so help me, you will not see the light of day tomorrow morning."

Caroline held back a laugh and put a hand over her mouth. Oh how she loved Katherine's creative threats.

The man looked shocked at Katherine's outburst and he kept opening and closing his mouth, trying to say something but it not exactly coming out. Katherine jerked her thumb in the direction of the door.

"Go." She said darkly and he promptly left. The girls watched as he walked out of the bar before looking back at each other and Caroline bursting out laughing. Katherine didn't laugh. She only allowed a smug smirk to play over her lips.

"I can't leave you alone for not even two minutes without some desperado trying to get you to suck his dick, can I?"

Caroline slowly recovered from her laughter before wrapping her arms tightly around Katherine in a hug. "It's good to see you too, Katherine."

Katherine returned the hug, releasing Caroline after a while. The two girls sat down at the bar and Katherine eyed Caroline's drink. Without asking, she took it from her hands and took a gulp of it.

"Cosmopolitan again? Seriously Caroline?"

"What?" Caroline said and took her drink back from Katherine. "I like Cosmopolitans."

"Caroline, you are at a bar. You get free drinks because you bring in the dough for this business. You can have any drink you want for free and you stick with the same one each time?" Katherine threw her arms out in a large gesture to the bottles behind the bar. "Be adventurous! Try new things! There are much better drinks out there that will get you drunk faster than a petty Cosmopolitan."

"Well maybe I don't want to get drunk and I like having Cosmopolitans, Kat." She said matter-of-factly. Katherine sighed.

"Whatever. I don't know about you, but I'm getting something stronger." Katherine waved down one of the bartenders while Caroline sipped on her drink. Matt made his way to them and leaned against the bar.

"Hey Katherine." He said with his friendly tone. He was such a cutie. "What can I get you?"

"Hey Matty Blue Blue." Katherine said, turning on her charm. Caroline resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Katherine twirled a chestnut curl around her finger and fluttered her lashes at him. "Can you get me your strongest fruity drink? I feel like something a little… refreshing."

Caroline snorted at Katherine's comment, only earning herself a kick in the leg under the bar bench. Matt smiled and nodded, not entirely picking up on Katherine's flirtatiousness. God, he was so adorable.

"Sure thing, Kat." He said and went about mixing Katherine's drink.

"Doesn't he know how to take a hint?" Katherine said bluntly.

"Give him a break. He's not really a guy that's into that sort of stuff. Well, all guys are but Matt is a gentleman."

"He's too kind for his own good."

"Well yeah but who doesn't like a sweetheart like Matt?"

"True. Very true."

At that point, another man had come to sit with them at the bar. He took a seat next to Katherine and the two girls eyed the man carefully. He turned and smirked at Katherine and Caroline's eyes widened. A hottie for Caroline's hottie of a friend. The man was blonde with blue-grey eyes and his skin was tanned. He had the whole surfer look going for him, which was unusual considering they were in New Orleans. When he spoke though, their questions as to why were finally answered.

"G'day sweetheart. The name's Jason. And you are?"

Both Caroline and Katherine's jaws dropped.

"Holy fuck, you're Australian." Katherine blurted out and Caroline snorted at her lack of a filter. The guy chuckled at her comment and Katherine was glad that he hadn't been turned off by her language and lack of grace.

Recovering from her stupor, she twirled a chestnut curl around her finger. _Right_, she decided, _I am sooo going home with this foreign delight tonight_. She put on her best smile and batted her lashes a little at him.

"Katerina." She said and Caroline choked on her drink. She hated being called Katerina. That's why she preferred everyone to call her Katherine. "But everyone calls me Katherine."

"Either name suits you nicely, Katerina."

Katherine felt her stomach do backflips. Yeah, he was hot and he had an amazing accent but she decided she didn't like him calling her Katerina. She didn't like anyone calling her Katerina.

"Just Katherine is fine. Everyone calls me Katherine."

"Okay Katherine."

Matt returned with Katherine's drink and placed it in front of her. "Here you go Kat. That's fourteen dollars."

Jason put some money down on the bar bench and slid it over to Matt. "It's on me, Katherine." He said and gave her a wink. _Yep. Definitely going home with this delectable Australian babe_.

"How could I thank you for buying me my drink, Jason?" she asked, feigning innocence. She fluttered her lashes at him and Caroline turned her attention back to her drink, knowing Katherine was on the hunt for a long night of fun with the blonde foreigner.

She finished her drink and Matt made her another Cosmopolitan. By the time she had nearly finished her drink, Katherine was tapping her on the shoulder.

"I'm going Care." Katherine said with a smirk as Caroline looked over at Jason ad then down at their entwined hands. Caroline resisted the urge to roll her eyes. At least Katherine was enjoying herself. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah sure. I'll see you tomorrow." Katherine grinned and started walking off with the man. "Be careful!" Caroline yelled out to her and Katherine called back with "I always am!" before exiting the bar.

Caroline sighed deeply before gulping down the last of her drink. She gave Matt and Kol a smile and a small wave before leaving the bar. The Black Magic bar wasn't far from her apartment, so she decided to walk home instead of catch a cab.

The streets of New Orleans became alive at night. The doors to the bars were open and jazz music was pouring out of them. Restaurants were still open, the nightlife of New Orleans providing the best business compared to the day. People roamed the streets in pairs and groups. The streets were occupied by buskers playing trumpets, trombones, saxophones and the works. She even came across the occasional artist who would be painting on a large canvas in the middle of the street. She found a brass band playing a Stevie Wonder song and stood by to watch and listen for a few minutes. This was one of the things she had become to love about New Orleans. The music was filled with soul and she had grown to appreciate the art of music because of everyone's passion for it. She dropped five dollars into the saxophone case before making her way home.

Once she reached her apartment building, she walked up the stairs to the third floor and unlocked her apartment door. Finally in the comfort and security of her own home, she changed into her pyjamas before pulling out her case files for her mission and looking over them. It had been a week since herself and Katherine had arrived in town and they were yet to have a sighting of the assassin they had to capture and take out. Though the files were helpful to an extent, they couldn't do much with them until they found the man himself. They didn't even have a name. All they had was a title the man had become known as – probably for this reason too. Caroline knew that if she was an assassin, she wouldn't want people to know her true identity. Across the top of the profile page was the title 'The Hybrid'. It sounded weird as Hell to Caroline. Who the Hell would call themselves that? And who the Hell would call someone that? Caroline didn't know but it sure was doing its job at hiding the man's identity.

Thankfully, there was a picture of the man for Caroline to go by for when she finally found the man. The image was slightly blurred but she could see it clear enough to know that he had blue eyes and sandy blonde hair. Caroline had a moment of panic when she thought it might have been that Australian that Katherine had taken off with and quickly grabbed for her phone, but then reconsidered the likelihood of it and decided it wasn't him. That man from the bar didn't have cheekbones like the man in the photo did and Caroline released a relieved sigh. Katherine could continue canoodling with the foreigner. Caroline, however, closed up her files and put them away for the night, deciding to just crawl into bed and curl up for a well-deserved sleep.

* * *

**That's the first chapter! Woooo! Klaus wasn't in this chapter, but I promise you will get a glimpse of him in the next one. He won't talk in it, but he will be in it. And so will the ever lovely Rebekah!**

**Until then, I would love to read some reviews from you guys. They always make my day and motivate me so much.**

**Celeste xoxo**


	2. Faces in the Crowd

**Hello sweethearts! Here's a new update! I cannot express in words how excited I am to write this story and to share it with you guys. Your reviews, favourites and follows make me smile and make my day! Sorry if there are any grammatical errors in this one. It's 3:15am so I'm too tired to redraft right now and yet I'm still eager to post it ahaha.**

**Chapter 2: _Faces in the Crowd_**

* * *

Caroline woke up early the next day feeling refreshed from a good night's sleep. She needed all the rest she could get considering she had to perform at Black Magic again later on tonight. Caroline made herself breakfast and sat down at the table with her iPad as she ate her cereal, checking her emails and the most recent news both at home in New York and here in New Orleans. Nothing drastic had happened recently. Good. That made her job easier. No distractions.

Caroline had considered calling Katherine so they could meet up to discuss how they were going to go about finding the assassin they were sent to catch but Caroline decided against it when she remembered Katherine was probably preoccupied with that foreigner from last night. Caroline's face took on a distasteful expression as the thought crossed her mind, Caroline not exactly wanting to have a mental picture of her friend naked and having sex with a total stranger.

Caroline had decided to look over her files again before going out to explore the streets New Orleans. She hadn't had a proper chance to look around yet, Caroline being too focussed on the job she was here to complete. Katherine had gotten out more than she had, and as much as Caroline loved her job, she too wanted to see the sights of the birthplace of jazz.

In the late afternoon while Caroline was listening to a musician playing a saxophone, her phone started ringing and she heard the familiar ringtone she had set for the caller.

'_I suppose I should tell you what this bitch is thinking._

_You'll find me in the studio and not in the kitchen._

_I won't be bragging 'bout my cars or talking 'bout my chains._

_Don't need to shake my ass for you 'cause I've got a brain._

_If I told you 'bout my sex life, you'd call me a slut._

_When boys be talkin' 'bout their bitches –'_

She hit the answer button and put the phone to her ear. "Well it's about time, Kat. I was going to call you but didn't want to interrupt you if you were still with that guy."

She heard Katherine laugh on the other end.

"Turned out that he wasn't as amazing in bed as he looks. He's unbelievably hot with a seriously smoking body and accent, but the sex? Not really to my standards."

Caroline frowned and wrinkled her nose. "Damn shame. He was hot."

"Yeah. Like, he wasn't bad but he wasn't great. Anyway, I'm home now, so we can meet up. Where abouts are you? I called your home number but you didn't answer."

"I'm out and about. Just walking around New Orleans listening to some of the buskers." Caroline said and decided to toss five dollars into the hat that was placed on the ground in front of the saxophone player.

"On Bourbon Street?"

Caroline looked at the street sign and nodded, though Katherine couldn't see her. "Yeah. Bourbon Street. I'm about to head home though to get ready for work." She said, knowing that Katherine knew that Caroline's 'work' was part of her cover up. Katherine would have preferred to be a bar performer than a barista any day.

"Okay, I'll come watch you at the bar then. I'll see you later. Love ya."

"You too, Kat." She said then Katherine hung up on her.

Caroline sighed as she put her phone away back in her bag. She stayed to listen to one more song by the sax player before leaving to go back to her apartment to get ready for work.

* * *

Looking at herself in the mirror off stage, Caroline felt like she looked more like herself this time compared to the night before. Yes, she had enjoyed wearing the 1920's flapper's dress but she felt more comfortable wearing the simple black skater dress she wore now. The dress stopped at her mid-thigh and had cap sleeves with a low neckline. She had patent black platforms on and her hair was cascaded around her shoulders in neat blonde curls. Her eyeshadow was smokey and her lipstick was a wine red. She smiled at her reflection. It was a real classic yet sexy look.

She listened as April once again introduced her like she had every other time, though this time she had tamed it down because Caroline had asked her to. Caroline was less nervous that way. Once April was done, Caroline made her way onto the stage and stood in the middle of the stage. Once she was ready, she indicated to the band to start and they kicked off the song and the lights lit her up.

"He's tatted on his back, I'm all about it.  
Knows how to make me sweat.  
He got it, got it.  
I'm 'bout to do it to you, you, you.  
Oh, boy, what am I supposed to do?

You ignite it, can't fight it.  
Joy riding, we all-nighting.  
Knows how to make me sweat.  
He got it, got it.  
He got it, got it."

Once Caroline reached the chorus, she started making her way around the front of the stage. When Caroline had first performed at Black Magic, Kol had said to her that she must have been a Goddess of some kind because of how his amount of customers had dramatically boosted over the short time Caroline had been performing there. She was the current money maker for his business. Caroline knew that if she wanted to keep up her cover and go undetected for as long as possible, she would have to keep making Kol his money – not that she had a problem with performing and teasing the men with what she would never allow them to have. With that on her mind, she kept going, swaying her hips and running her hand through her hair as she continued.

"Running with fire, danger.  
Got us on the edge of losing our power.  
Take me down.  
Better turn them lights out.  
Turn them out, out, out.  
Boy, I'll take it for myself  
Right now, now, now.  
Right now, now, now.  
Right now, now, now.  
Can I get a blackout?"

Just like every other time she performed, she started getting into the song even more once she had completed the first verse and chorus. She continued her dance around the stage as she sung, a grin on her face from the amusement of teasing the men in the audience. Her grin dropped though when she saw someone sitting at a table near the back of the bar that had caught her attention, her grin being replaced by a brief look of curiosity. She couldn't entirely see his face properly from where she was, especially since the lights blurred her vision of the audience. From what she could see, he had predominant cheekbones and sandy blonde hair. Her eyes stayed focussed on the man as she sung, and she could almost swear that his were locked on her too.

"Show me your bag of tricks.  
Put it on me.  
You know I'll handle it,  
Like my body.

Tonight I'm loving you, you, you.  
Tell me what I'm supposed to do.

You ignite it, can't fight it.  
Joy riding, we all-nighting.  
Show me your bag of tricks.  
Put it on me, put it on me.

Running with fire, danger.  
Got us on the edge of losing our power.  
Take me down.  
Better turn them lights out  
Turn them out, out, out  
Boy, I'll take it for myself  
Right now, now, now  
Right now, now, now  
Right now, now, now  
Can I get a blackout?"

Not able to take it anymore, she made her way off the stage as she continued singing and headed towards the man, making sure to pay some attention to the rest of the audience since she was supposed to be entertaining the whole bar. As she got closer, she saw he was wearing neat-casual attire – jeans, a dark henley with a leather jacket and a couple necklaces around his neck. The most intense feature of the man though was his piercing blue eyes. She felt intimidated suddenly and felt like taking a step away from the man, but she had made her way across the entire bar just to satisfy her curiosity, so why stop now? Instead of stopping herself, she just went along with pure instinct as she continued the song.

"In a black haze, raw emotion,  
You're the only one in focus  
In darkness we're floating, floating."

She reached out towards him and grabbed hold of his necklaces in her hand, tugging on them lightly to make him stand. She pulled him closer and he voluntarily followed her silent orders, letting her run her hand teasingly along his chest.

"Running with fire, danger.  
Got us on the edge of losing our power.  
Take me down."

She circled him once, dragging her hand along his body the entire time as she came closer to the end of the song. She pressed her body up against his as she sang the last few lines, all the while feeling pleased with her new-found level of confidence.

"Better turn them lights out.  
Turn them out, out, out.  
Boy, I'll take it for myself  
Right now, now, now.  
Right now, now, now.  
Right now, now, now.  
Can I get a blackout?"

As soon as she finished singing the last line, the lights went out and she let go of the man to head back up to the stage for her next song. As Caroline pulled herself away from him, she could have sworn that he had gone to wrap his arms around her. She internally rolled her eyes at herself. _Don't be stupid, Caroline. It's just men being men._

* * *

Caroline finished her set an hour later and as usual, made her way over to the bar and found Katherine there. Katherine had a smug smirk on her face as Caroline approached her and Caroline raised a brow in question at her friend.

"Care to explain what you're being so smug about?" Caroline asked.

"Care to explain your little flirtatious dance with the guy with the fit ass earlier?"

Caroline rolled her eyes at her. Of course that's what she was going to say.

"I was simply doing my job." She retorted and crossed her arms defensively.

Katherine picked up her cocktail and stirred it with her straw. "Whatever. But I don't recall you telling me that the job application required you to go borderline stripper dancing."

Caroline groaned at her remark which only made Katherine smile victoriously.

"Oh please. I'm sure Nik wouldn't have minded." A blonde woman said as she sat down next to them at the bar. She waved down Kol who came over and handed her a drink, asking for no money. _Huh,_ Caroline thought. _I thought I was the only special one who got free drinks?_

As if the girl had read Caroline's mind, she lifted her glass up and looked at her. "The benefits of having a brother that owns his own bar. Free cocktails."

Caroline shared a look with Katherine who just had a brow raised and shrugged before going back to her drink. Caroline turned back to the girl.

"You're Kol's sister? I didn't know he had a sister."

The blonde girl nodded. "Unfortunately yes, I am related to him, but it has its benefits." She said and took a sip of her drink before continuing. "I'm Rebekah."

Caroline smiled. She seemed nice enough and it would be good to meet new people around New Orleans. "I'm Caroline and this is my friend Katherine. We moved here just over a week ago."

"I thought you were new." Rebekah said and set her drink down on the bar. "Welcome to New Orleans. How have you been liking the place?"

"I love it." Caroline said and looked to Katherine so she could add her little bit extra too. Katherine only nodded as she sucked down her drink through her straw. "The atmosphere and the music is amazing. It feels very homey too and it's lively in a calm way, unlike New York being lively in a busy and rushed way."

Rebekah smiled slightly before finishing off the rest of her drink. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. If you ever want someone to show you around the best places or just want to spend some time with some good company," she peered over at Katherine when she said that and Katherine scowled, "don't hesitate to call me to catch up." Rebekah quickly wrote her phone number down on a napkin and handed it to Caroline. "I know the best places to go shopping."

Caroline smiled at the kind gestured. "Thanks. I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

"Great," Rebekah said before grabbing her handbag and sliding off her stool, "I've got to run. It was nice meeting you Caroline… and… Katherine." She said Katherine's name distastefully before strutting off. Caroline turned to see Katherine rolling her eyes at Rebekah's remark and Caroline tried to not laugh.

"If you were more friendly and approachable, then people would actually speak to you like you're a human being." She point out but Katherine waved it off.

"Whatever."

Katherine went back to sipping her drink just as Matt put a Cosmopolitan in front of Caroline. She smiled gratefully for the drink and started sipping on her own, her attention somehow finding its way over to Kol speaking with a woman at the end of the bar. She tried to listen in on their conversation. Yes, she knew she was eavesdropping and that it was rude to do so, but once again her curiosity got the better of her.

"Look Kol. I don't want to have to do this but if you can't give us $100,000 for this place within the next six months, we're going to have to take the building back."

"Sophie, please. I've just gotten this place up and running. This is my dream that you'll be taking away from me. I've been planning this bar for years and you're going to kick me out that quickly?"

"If you don't have the money to me in the next six months, then yes, it will come to that."

Kol pointed a finger at Sophie threateningly but she didn't look not one bit challenged by it. "Listen here, Deveraux. I'm not leaving this bar, nor are my staff or my liquor licence. I've just gotten the place pumping over the past week and the bar has made double of what it used to make in a week. I've got performers for crying out loud!" he said with a large gesture, and Caroline realised that he was gesturing to her. Caroline's eyes widened and she quickly focussed her gaze on her Cosmopolitan, not wanting to look like she was listening to them. "By the time six months are over, the debt would have been paid and I would still be snowed under with money with how the business has been going the past week. Just stop threatening to close it all the time."

"Get me the money and we'll see where you stand." She said then promptly left. Kol stood there with his shoulders slouched forward, looking absolutely defeated. Caroline wanted to comfort him but then he would know that she was eavesdropping. Caroline looked around the bar as she sipped her drink and her eyes fell on the man – Nik, did Rebekah say his name was? – and saw that his gaze was lock on hers. Caroline chewed on her bottom lip nervously and looked away before nudging Katherine with her elbow.

"What?" Katherine said bluntly. Caroline was used to her friends bluntness, so she didn't feel hurt by her tone.

"He's staring at me." She said in a hushed voice. Katherine looked at her confused for a moment before finally understanding and turned to look around. Caroline had to keep herself from crawling into a hole and dying from how obvious Katherine made it that she was looking for him.

"Oh. I see." She said and stared at him. "Dayum, Caroline! Fuck, he's hot. Get in there!"

Caroline snorted. "Oh please. We're here for work, not to slut around."

Katherine shrugged and put her straw in her mouth to take another sip of her cocktail. "Whatever. Your loss, but I seriously think you need to have a little reckless fun every now and then."

"Oh please. This mission is reckless enough as it is." She whispered to Katherine. Katherine only smirked.

"Live for the moment, Caroline. A little fun never hurt anyone."

Caroline gnawed on her lip as she contemplate Katherine's words. Eventually, she let out a resigned sigh. "Fine. I'll live for the moment." She hopped off her chair, preparing herself to go speak with Nik but stopped when he was nowhere to be seen.

_Well. So much for living in the moment._

* * *

**I know, I know, Klaus hasn't spoken yet in this fic, but never fear! They will have their first proper meeting in the next chapter! After all, we are only two chapters in so far. There is much to anticipate! For now though, I must love you and leave you. I need to update my other fics as well!**

**Please review! :) They motivate me to update faster!**

**Celeste xoxo**


	3. Welcome to New Orleans

**Hello my loves! Life has been hectic lately! Between trying to update 3 multi-chapter Klaroline fanfics, rehearsals and seeing friends and family, I have no time on my hands, hence why I always write at night. I stay up until the early hours of the morning (it's currently 2am!) writing these stories because I'm so eager for you all to read them and I know how painful it is to have to wait for a fanfic to be updated. *Le sigh* I've got several I've been waiting to be updated for about 6 months now. Anyway, this chapter, we finally meet Klaus! Woooo! And we also meet someone else... ;)**

**Chapter 3: _Welcome to New Orleans_**

* * *

"No way. Did he seriously do that?"

"Unfortunately yes. Kol has no mercy when it comes to playing practical jokes on people, especially his family." Rebekah told Caroline as they walked down Bourbon Street towards the café. Caroline had called Rebekah early the next morning asking her if she still held her offer of showing Caroline the best places to shop in New Orleans. Rebekah had jumped at the opportunity to shop instantly and within the hour, Rebekah was at Caroline's front door. Rebekah had filled her in on the best places to shop, the finest restaurants to eat at and the best bars to find great music at. They had spent a good three hours walking around shopping, and by the end of it, both of their hands were full with several bags filled with clothes, handbags, make up, everything. They had decided to go get lunch at The Coffee House where Katherine was working so they could stop by and say hi.

"I can't believe he put green dye in your body wash." Caroline said in disbelief, though she could see that he would be a joker at heart. She hadn't witnessed or been the target of any of his practical jokes yet, and she was determined to keep it that way.

"Yes, well I was green for a good four days after that until it finally washed off. I looked like I had some crazy sickness. People were avoiding me so I stayed inside all week. It was humiliating."

"I can imagine."

They finally reached The Coffee House and took a seat inside. They set their bags down and looked over the menus. Caroline chewed on her lip as she looked over the list then looked up when she saw a shadow cast over her.

"Hey Kat." She said with an amused smile when she saw Katherine looked miserable. Caroline knew she hated working as a barista.

"Wipe that smirk off your face, bitch." Katherine said and Caroline laughed. Katherine saw her boss over the counter glaring at her and Katherine forced herself to smile. "I apologise, hon. What can I get you both?"

Rebekah snorted at Katherine's forced change in attitude and Caroline had to keep herself from erupting into uncontrollable laughter. Katherine discreetly kicked Caroline under the table and Caroline immediately shut up.

"I'll have a latte and a toasted ham and cheese croissant." Caroline said and Katherine raised a brow.

"Being a complicated little bitch, aren't you? With your toasted croissant."

"I just enjoy your reactions to working this kind of job."

"Whatever." Katherine frowned before turning to Rebekah. "And you? What do you want Posh Spice?"

Rebekah narrowed her eyes at Katherine before handing her the menu. "I would like a cappuccino and a spinach and feta filo, thank you very much." She said with a dismissive look that said Katherine could leave now. Katherine opened her mouth to say something but stopped when Caroline kicked her under the table.

Katherine forced herself to smile at Rebekah. "Of course, Rebekah. I'll bring it out to you both as soon as it's ready." Katherine said then walked off.

As soon as Katherine disappeared behind the counter to go put their orders together, Caroline burst out laughing. Rebekah furrowed her brows together.

"What are you laughing at?" Rebekah asked.

"I don't know. You tell me Posh Spice."

Rebekah rolled her eyes. "Whatever. If I'm Posh Spice, then you're Baby Spice."

Caroline wiped away the tears that her laughter had caused and smiled. "That's fine by me."

"Katherine is definitely Scary Spice, that's for sure."

The two girls kept laughing and chatting when their orders came out. After an hour of talking and properly getting to know each other, Rebekah checked the time on her phone.

"I should be heading off. I need to pick up my little brother Henrik from school." She stood up from her chair and picked up her bags before turning to Caroline. "We'll catch up again soon, Caroline."

Caroline smiled and gave Rebekah a hug. "Of course. I'll see you around." And with that, Rebekah left.

Caroline began picking up her bags when Katherine came over to her with her hands on her hips. "Do you enjoy taking the piss out of me?" she asked and Caroline smiled. Caroline lifted her hand to show Katherine just how much with her fingers.

"Just a little."

"I couldn't tell." Katherine said with a roll of her eyes. "I finish my shift in fifteen minutes, then we can go scope out the bar." Katherine lowered her voice. "If we are going to find this assassin, we should start at the most pumping nightclub in New Orleans. Everyone has been going there lately, Care. It's a good place to start, considering you work there now. You have access to everything."

Caroline nodded and looked around warily at everyone around them. "I think that's a good idea, but let's keep the talk about our mission at a low when we're in public."

Katherine nodded and released a sigh. "I know. Okay."

"I'll wait for your shift to finish, then we can go together." Caroline offered. "I need my partner in crime."

* * *

Once Katherine had finished her shift, she had decided that she didn't want to go to the bar straight after work anymore. She said that she had to keep up her 'reputation as the finest thing New Orleans has ever seen' and had to change into an outfit that was Katherine Pierce approved. Caroline waited on the couch in Katherine's apartment and scrolled through her phone aimlessly as her friend got ready. About an hour later, Katherine finally made an appearance through her bedroom door and did a short model walk up and down the lounge room, twirling at the end for Caroline.

"What do you think? I look hot, right?"

Caroline looked her friend up and down. She was wearing leather pants with heeled black boots. Her top was a navy blue and showed off her cleavage nicely. Over the top, she wore a black leather jacket and her chestnut curls framed her smokey eyes beautifully. She looked like a total bad ass.

"You look great, as per usual. Now can we go?" Caroline said as she got up from the couch. Katherine nodded and grabbed her handbag and keys.

"Alright. Let's go."

The drive to Black Magic was eventful nonetheless – but then again, everything was eventful when Katherine was around. Iggy Azalea's song _Fancy_ had come on the radio, so the girls had rolled down their windows and belted out the lyrics as they drove in Caroline's blue Beetle Chevrolet. Once they arrived, they found a park and headed into the bar. Caroline saw Matt behind the bar and waved to him before she looked around the bar. There were several groups of people in the bar, sitting around and having a few drinks. Black Magic usually came alive at night since that was the normal business hours of a bar, but it were starting to do well during the day as well.

Caroline walked up to the bar with Katherine in tow and leaned against the bar bench. "Is Kol around Matt?"

Matt shook his head. "Not today. He'll be here tonight though. Did you want me to leave him a message or something?"

"No, it's alright. I'll let him know I came by."

Caroline felt Katherine elbow her in the side and released an '_ouch_' at the feeling. She glared at Katherine as she rubbed her side. "What was tha–"

"Shut up and look." Katherine said, her eyes focussed over Caroline's shoulder. Caroline turned to see what Katherine was gawking at and she wasn't disappointed. Her eyes fell on two tall men – one brunette and one a sandy-blonde. The brunette man had brown eyes and wore a classic black suit with a necktie. The man with him had dirty blonde curls. His eyes were an intense blue and stubble graced his jaw. The blue-eyed man looked familiar, and then it hit Caroline. He was the man she had walked right up to and danced for last night. She felt her cheeks go bright red at the memory. _Good God. He's hot and I made a complete fool out of myself last night…_

What freaked her out even more was that they were walking towards them and Caroline had to keep herself calm. She was screaming inside. This was going to go really bad, really fast.

Katherine leaned back against the bar as she put on her most sensual smile while Caroline stood there frozen in place, trying to keep her nerves at bay. Caroline could feel his eyes raking over her body and she swallowed to wet her dry throat. It was so much more different confronting people while performing compared to a simple conversation.

"Good evening ladies." The formally dressed one of the two said. Caroline kept her eyes on him instead of the blue-eyed man next to him who was smirking at her. "We couldn't help but notice we haven't seen you around New Orleans before this week."

Katherine crossed one leg over the other as she leaned back against the bar. "That's because we're new to town and we're regulars to the bar as well."

"I couldn't help but notice." The blue-eyed man – _Nik, that's what Rebekah called him, yeah?_ – said as he eyed Caroline. Caroline held her breath. _Good God, he has a British accent!_

Katherine smirked at the two of them and Caroline had to resist the urge to punch her in the boob. She gestured to Caroline. _Please no…_

"This is my gorgeous and single friend Caroline," _Oh God, help me…,_ "and I am Katherine, but you can call me Katerina." She said with a wink to the brunette man.

The man grabbed hold of Katherine's hand and lifted it. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Katerina." He said before placing a kiss on her hand. Katherine's eyes went wide temporarily. Never in her entire life had she even remotely liked the way someone said her name, but this man was an exception. _Holy fucking shit_, the way her name rolled off his tongue was like the voice of a fucking angel sent from heaven.

"I am Elijah and this here is Niklaus." He said and gestured to the man next to him. Niklaus smirked at Caroline and kissed her hand as well. Caroline felt the butterflies in her stomach go spastic. _Calm down nerves, calm down!_

"You may call me Klaus, sweetheart."

_Sweetheart? Well, holy shit._

By this point, Caroline's face was as red as a tomato. Her brain had temporarily died and her mouth hung open. She currently didn't have the brain function to pull her hand away or to form complete sentences. _You're leaving such a great first impression, Caroline…_

"C-Caroline," she stammered, "My name is Caroline."

Caroline closed her eyes and held her breath. _Well no shit, Caroline. Katherine just said that!_

He smirked at her and she felt her cheeks go even redder – if that was even possible. "I know."

She opened her eyes and shook her head as she let out a nervous laugh. "Right. You already knew that. My bad. Katherine… yeah…"

Caroline hadn't even realised until now that he had let go of her hand, and crazily enough, she was already starting to miss it.

"I knew before your friend here told me your name, love." _Love? Seriously?_ She looked at him confused for a moment as she tried to figure out how he already knew who she was and he could tell by the look on her face. "I come to the bar often and I see your shows. I was here last night, for instance." He clarified.

Caroline chewed on her bottom lip, having temporarily forgotten it was him that she had danced for and sung to last night. The embarrassment from earlier washed over her again. "Right. Sorry. I'm having a bad brain day. I swear I don't usually act as blonde as I look_." Okay Caroline. It's time to shut up now!_ "I remember you. It's kind of hard to not notice your eyes." Caroline felt as if she had just hit herself with a brick. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ She really needed a filter for her nervous rambling.

He raised a brow at her and smirked. "My eyes? What about my eyes?"

Caroline opened and closed her mouth several times, trying to think of something to say. "I, uh, um… So what do you do for work?"

Klaus chuckled and Caroline felt like her cheeks were on fire now. She could tell he was amused by her babbling.

"I co-own a business with a good friend of mine. I can't really say much about it." He said and eyed her carefully for a moment. "What did you do before joining us in New Orleans?"

"I worked at a small bar in New York." She lied, having to use her cover story. "I was performing there for a few years until I decided I needed a fresh start and wanted to try getting work somewhere bigger. Katherine decided she wanted a new scenery too, so we moved to New Orleans and got work here. Music is kind of my thing and what better place to get a job as a performer than in the birthplace of jazz itself?"

He hesitated for a moment before responding and it made Caroline panic inside. Could he tell she was lying? Was he going to question her? Was he suspicious of her?

He gave her a charming smile after a moment and Caroline felt relief wash over her. "Well I hope the people of New Orleans have made you feel welcome, Caroline."

Caroline couldn't help but smile shyly, loving the way her name sounded in his accent when he said it. "They have. Everyone has been lovely."

"Then I supposed you wouldn't mind if I bought you a drink?" he asked with a determined smirk and Caroline had to bite back a smile.

"I don't see why not."

They turned to the bar and sat down, Caroline having to keep herself from jumping up and down excitedly like a teenage girl. Matt made his way over to them and looked at Klaus.

"Hey man, what can I get you?"

"The usual, thanks Matt. And something nice for the lady here."

Matt smiled at Caroline and pointed at her. "One Cosmopolitan coming right up, Care."

Klaus raised a brow at Matt and looked back at Caroline in question.

"You work here, you get free drinks." Caroline clarified for him. "Cosmopolitans are always my go-to drink. It makes me feel like I'm Carrie Bradshaw from _Sex and the City_."

He chuckled at her reasoning and Caroline felt herself blush. "Fair enough, sweetheart."

* * *

About an hour and several drinks later, Caroline felt so comfortable around him, it was like she had known him forever. Maybe it was the alcohol? Maybe it was because he was easy-going? Or maybe it was because Caroline had gotten over her nerves and was starting to feel a little flirtatious. She didn't know, but she liked it.

"Why leave England though?"

"Because there's a whole world out there, Caroline. Great cities, art, music, genuine beauty," he said as if the answer was obvious, "New Orleans has it all, especially now that you have arrived."

She rolled her eyes and scoffed at him. "Nice try," she said, "But just so we're clear, I'm too smart to be seduced by you."

He smiled. "Well that's why I like you."

She looked at him through her thick lashes and their eyes locked. She bit down on her bottom lip in an attempt to keep herself from smiling but was unsuccessful. _Good God, he's hot… those dimples… those eyes…_

"Hey Care," Katherine cut in and ruined the moment, "We've got to go."

Caroline looked over at Katherine with a venomous look. "Okay, I'm coming." She said before turning back to Klaus. "It was nice meeting you." She said genuinely, "This was fun."

"There's no reason as to why we can't meet up again, sweetheart. I for one would love to properly show you around New Orleans." He took a card out of his jacket pocket and placed it in her hand. She looked down at it and saw that it was a business card with his number on it. She had to keep herself from squealing.

Caroline smiled and reached into her bag, taking out a pen and a notebook – she liked to be organised, alright? – and scribbled down her name and number. "And I would love to have you show me around." she said as she ripped it out and handed it to him.

He accepted it with a victorious smile on his face before helping her off her chair. "It's a date then, sweetheart."

Caroline smiled broadly. "Okay!" she said, sounding a little ditzy from her excitement, "I'll see you then." He leaned in to kiss her cheek and she felt her cheeks go bright red.

"Until then, Caroline."

She bit back a smile and had to force herself to turn around and leave. Once she reached Katherine, she hardly had anytime to say goodbye to Elijah as Katherine grabbed her by her arm and dragged her out the door and to her car. They climbed into the car and Caroline put the keys in the ignition. As soon as the car was moving down the street, Katherine was onto her.

"Did I see you two exchanging numbers?" she asked and Caroline only grinned. Katherine gasped. "You totally did! And here I was thinking you were too nervous and shy to do something like that anymore."

"Says the one who was teasing me about my little dance just yesterday." Caroline retorted.

"Okay, that is true. I will give you that." She said. "So what were you getting all excited about near the end?"

"He's going to show me around New Orleans. It's going to be a date."

Caroline could feel Katherine staring at her with a large smirk on her face. Before Katherine could say anything, Caroline changed the subject.

"What about you and Elijah? Is something going to happen there?"

Katherine crossed her legs as she grinned. "Oh I'm going to make sure something happens, that's for sure."

"Are you going to break Elijah?" Caroline teased. "He seems too moral and well mannered. You usually like the rough ones."

"Yes, well Elijah is different. I like a man in a suit. Besides, I feel like my ovaries explode every time he calls me Katerina."

Caroline pulled a disturbed face. "Okay, too much detail. Way too much detail. You have no shame."

Katherine just sat back in her seat and smirked.

Once Caroline dropped Katherine off at her apartment, Caroline went home and took out her files again. They were supposed to be scoping out the bar today for suspects but that hadn't exactly gone to plan once they ran into Klaus and Elijah. She sat down in bed, her files spread out across the mattress as she looked through them all. Caroline started yawning and gave up on trying to find something new. She started putting the papers back into their colour-coded folders but she stopped when something caught her eye. She picked up the paper and looked at it. It wasn't anything written; it was the picture of the assassin they were after. Slowly, it started to piece together in her mind. The man in the photo was all too familiar. She felt her heart skip a beat at the sight of him but then dread filled her, mixing with her nerves. _No… Surely not. It can't be…_

Her voice was barely a whisper. "Klaus."

* * *

**_Dun DUN DUUUNNNNNNNNN!_ Cliffhanger! Minor cliffhanger, but still! Did you guess Klaus was the assassin? What do you think is going to happen next? What did you think of the chapter overall? Let me know in reviews!**

**Celeste xoxo**


	4. The Killer Inside

**Hello Klaroliners! I am back with a new chapter. This is the longest chapter so far and I'm rather proud of it, so I hope you enjoy it! We get the perspectives of several characters in this one, so there is something to look forward to in each scene. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4: _The Killer Inside_**

* * *

Katherine was getting out of the shower when she heard the familiar ringtone she had set on her phone for when Caroline called her. She quickly wrapped the soft white towel around herself before heading over to her dresser as the song played out.

'_I'm so fancy  
You already know  
I'm in the fast lane  
From L.A. to Tokyo  
I'm so fancy  
Can't you taste this gold  
Remember my name, 'bout to blow  
Trash the hotel  
Let's get drunk on the mini bar –'_

"Hey bitch," Katherine said once she put the phone to her ear, "What's up with the late night phone call?"

"I know who the assassin is."

Katherine's jaw dropped. "What?"

"Just get out your files and tell me who the photo is of." Caroline replied. Katherine couldn't help but think she heard sadness in her friend's voice.

"Caroline, who is it?" She asked but was pulling out her files as she said so anyway. She flipped through the pages until she found the photograph. Katherine's eyes grew wide when she saw the familiar face of the man. "Holy fuck, it's Klaus." She said and her shoulders slouched forward, knowing that this would be hurting Caroline to an extent. "Oh sweetie. I'm so sorry." She said sincerely. She heard Caroline take a deep breath on the other end of the phone before she spoke up.

"Just get over here as soon as possible. We need to contact Alaric and tell him we've found the Hybrid."

Katherine nodded, though she knew Caroline couldn't see her. "Okay, just let me put some clothes on and I'll be right there."

"Wait, are you talking to me naked?"

Katherine smirked. "Well unless you want to see me in my birthday suit?"

Katherine could almost see Caroline rolling her eyes. "Let's focus on our lesbian fantasies another day." Caroline said with amusement in her voice.

Katherine let out a dramatic sigh. "Okay sugar, but don't keep me waiting forever."

The two girls laughed before Caroline was all seriousness again.

"Just be over here in fifteen minutes. We need to notify Alaric as soon as possible."

Katherine arrived at Caroline's apartment in record time. She had quickly thrown on black leather pants and a fitted lace top and quickly put on some mascara and red lipstick before jumping into her car to head down to Caroline's. She knocked her fist impatiently on her apartment door and tapped her heels as she waited. A few seconds later, Caroline had opened the door and Katherine just barged right in.

"I can't believe he's the assassin. He's so hot." She whined and turned on her heel to face Caroline. "Why does it have to be one of the hot ones? I really wanted you to get in there!"

"I know," Caroline said with a frown, "But we were never here for personal reasons to begin with. We are here to complete a job."

"Well it still sucks." Katherine replied. "And I'm still going after his hot friend, Elijah. I can't say no when his fit ass looks good in that suit."

"Let's just get Alaric on the phone." Caroline cut in and took out her phone. She dialed the number and put the phone on loud speaker. She placed it on the coffee table and the two women sat on the lounges as they looked at the phone, waiting for Alaric to answer.

"Caroline," came Alaric's voice through the phone, "Why are you calling so late? Is everything going to plan?"

"Everything's fine, Alaric." Caroline told him and rubbed her hands on her thighs. "In fact, we've met our little friend the Hybrid already and we didn't even realise it until now. I figured it out when I was looking through my files tonight."

"Already?" Alaric said, the surprise coming through in his voice. "Brilliant, girls! What have you got so far?"

"Not much to go by yet." Katherine told him. "We've got his first name though. Niklaus."

"And he told me that he co-owns a business with a good friend of his, though that is probably just a lie." Caroline added.

They waited in silence for a moment as Alaric processed everything they had just told him. It wasn't much to go by, but it was something. At least they now had somewhere to start compared to what they had previously when they didn't even know his name.

"So I'm guessing you girls were able to have a conversation with him?" Alaric finally spoke up.

"I didn't," Katherine said, "I was speaking to his friend that was with him. The Hybrid was speaking with Caroline." Katherine said and looked over at Caroline with a smirk. "It seems that he has taken an interest in dear Caroline here. He even asked her out and they exchanged numbers."

Caroline pressed her lips into a thin line. She didn't like her life being announced to everyone but she knew her higher officials had to know about every detail that had to do with the infamous assassin.

"Is that so?" they heard Alaric say. Caroline could almost imagine him stroking his chin thoughtfully as he spoke. "And what did you say to his offer, Caroline?"

"I told him I would like to see him again." She said quietly and felt herself blush. "Should I or should I ditch?"

"I think she should go on this date with him." Katherine cut in. "Why shouldn't she? It's the perfect opportunity to get more information out of him. He clearly has a thing for her. You can't miss it."

Caroline felt her cheeks go bright red at Katherine's words and she couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment about the fact that she couldn't truly try to have a relationship with the guy. They had to get rid of him if they wanted to protect the innocent people of the public. Caroline made sure to keep that running through her mind.

"In fact," Katherine continued and Caroline listened in intently, "I think she should try to start a relationship with the guy. I think he will be more open with her once he truly trusts her. It's perfect. And then it gives Caroline an open opportunity to set him up and we can take him out. Then that's another threat gone from the world." Katherine said and raised a brow at Caroline. "It will keep our stay here interesting, too. All's well that ends well." She said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Caroline put her head in her hands and pressed her fingers to her temples. "And if it should backfire?"

"It won't. You did drama back in school. You're a performer. Surely you can act and tell few lies." Katherine said.

"I agree with agent Pierce." Alaric agreed. "You are an undercover agent, after all. This will be no different from posing as a bar performer, agent Forbes. Only this time you'll be involved in a relationship instead. Get the guy to trust you, then it will be easier to eliminate him. Just don't form any real feelings for him." He said cautiously and Caroline understood the tone he was implying in his voice. "You'll be fraternizing with the enemy. Don't form any emotional ties to him. It will cloud your judgment."

"I know," she said as confidently as she could. She didn't want her disappointment to come through in her voice. Katherine could already see she was disappointed enough, "I'll be careful. I won't disappoint you."

"Good. Thanks for the update, girls. Contact me again once you have more information on the Hybrid."

"We will." Katherine told him. "We'll talk to you soon, Ric."

The girls said goodbye to Alaric and ended the call. Caroline stared at her phone on the table and chewed on her lower lip. She loved her job and took it seriously, but how on Earth was she going to do this? She was going to be messing with someone's emotions here. She didn't like making people feel hurt, especially by her own hand.

Caroline mentally scolded herself. This was their enemy she was talking about. She had to remember that. This man was long gone. She wouldn't allow herself to feel sympathetic. She had to do her job and that's exactly what she was going to do.

"You've got this, Care." Katherine said to her as she eyed Caroline. She could see the doubt flash through the blonde's eyes before it turned into the determination that she knew Caroline always had. "Just don't get attached unintentionally. I'll help you, but I'm also going to keep an eye on you."

Caroline nodded. "Thanks Kat, but it won't be necessary. You know I take my job seriously. I don't do anything half ass. If I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it properly."

* * *

Caroline sat at a table outside drinking her cappuccino. She'd had a restless sleep last night, the new plan constantly replaying through her mind. Caroline was in need of some serious caffeine when she woke up the next morning and had decided to go for a wander around her new home.

Caroline had eventually found a cute little café just off of Bourbon Street and sat outside sipping her coffee. The cup was warm in her hands and she felt her mood perk up slowly as the caffeine started to kick in.

She watched as people walked and drove past as she studied the quiet hustle and bustle of New Orleans. It was such a lively town and Caroline found herself wondering why she hadn't ever thought about coming to live here of her own accord. She let her eyes wander over her surroundings and they fell on the familiar face of the man that had been on her mind since their first meeting at the bar.

"Klaus." She said breathlessly once he approached her. He looked as hot as ever, sporting dark jeans, a black shirt and leather jacket. His necklaces hung out of his shirt and over his chest and Caroline resisted the urge to wrap her fingers around them like she had at the bar that night. He had his typical devious smirk on his face as his eyes glanced over her appreciatively.

"Hello sweetheart. We seem to keep running into each other. It must be fate."

Caroline felt herself blush at his words and she mentally scolded herself. He's the enemy, she reminded herself. She couldn't keep being affected by the man. She had a mission to complete, and forming emotional connections to this assassin wasn't part of it.

She knew however, that she had to keep up with the flirting to get him to trust her. She had to be bait, in other words. She wasn't keen on failing her higher officials.

"It must be," she agreed with a nod of her head and a small smirk of her own, "Or it is just a coincidence."

"Fate, coincidence, either one is fine with me as long as you are involved in it, sweetheart."

She felt her cheeks flush. So much for not blushing. At least it helped keep up the act.

"Well aren't you the charmer?" she said and released a soft giggle. He smirked at her again and Caroline couldn't help but think that it was the smirk of a killer. She had to be careful where she stepped with Klaus. She knew what he was capable of and what he did, but not to the full extent of it. She had never witnessed it, but she knew that she didn't want to see it any time soon.

"So I've been told. Now how about I show you around New Orleans like I promised? I for one would love to get to know you more, Caroline Forbes."

Caroline could hear how genuine his words truly were and it made her feel conflicted. This man was a person too, with real feelings like every other person, and yet she was assigned to kill him. It was ironic, really. He was an assassin and yet Caroline had been assigned to kill him. That, technically speaking, made her an assassin too, wouldn't it? Why was she any better than he was?

She shook the thought out of her head. She was an agent. She was doing this for the good of mankind. He had killed innocent people, whereas she was going to kill the guilty, the true murderer. Eliminating one man – one threat – was better than letting him go so he could pick off more innocents one by one. Who knew what would happen if they let him go? Maybe soon he would turned to full-fledged massacres. She couldn't let that happen. One life being taken was better than several.

She made herself smile shyly at him and mentally praised herself for the soft blush that appeared in her cheeks. Her attraction to him was only physical so far and she was determined to keep it that way. No emotions. Just acting.

"I would like that a lot." She said genuinely and placed her hand in his outstretched one. He helped her out of her seat and began to lead her away from the café.

"You are going to love New Orleans, Caroline. It truly is a marvelous city."

Caroline spent several hours exploring New Orleans and seeing the stunning sights with Klaus. Everywhere they went, he would point out a significant part of their destination and tell her the story and the history behind it, whether it was a statue or a building or even a tree. He knew it all. Caroline had been surprised to realise how much of an intellectual man he was and she couldn't help but be impressed.

"You sure seem to know a lot about everything around here." She said.

"I have lived here for half of my life. This is home to me, so I may as well know what I can about the city I live in. And history has always been a particular interest of mine. I find it quite fascinating."

"Well consider me impressed." She said with a curt nod and he smiled down at her. She couldn't stop the nervous flutter of her heart in her chest at the sight of it.

"What about you?" he asked and she gave him a quizzical look. "What are your interests." He clarified for her and she thought about it for a brief moment.

"I like to sing." She offered and he shook his head amused.

"Apart from singing. I already knew that about you. Another interest."

She thought harder, trying to think of something. "Well, it's not really much of an interest, but I love projects." She said and he raised a brow.

"Projects?" he said, waiting for her to elaborate.

"Yeah. I love organising events such as parties, dances, pageants and such. I was always into it as a young girl. Even in high school I was on the dance committee, chair of the beautification committee, head of the cheer squad, everything. I even organised the Miss Mystic Falls pageant back when I used to live there before I moved to New York. I even became Miss Mystic Falls when I was seventeen."

Caroline saw he had an amused smile on his face and she suddenly felt embarrassed having told him that.

"So you like the feeling of achievement." He said and Caroline shrugged her shoulders slightly. "You like the feeling of power."

That last part had caught her attention. She furrowed her brows at his mention of her liking power.

"I never really thought about it like that. I just liked projects. I still do, but I've never once thought about it as liking power. I liked the idea of making everything absolutely perfect. I wanted people to enjoy themselves and to see how brilliant it was. I guess it was a desire to feel achievement and satisfaction. That was the true reward behind it – being pleased with the final result. Everything met my high standards."

"Fair enough." He replied and looked ahead of him as he walked.

"What about you?" she asked. "Do you have any other interests apart from history?"

She saw him smile knowingly. The smile caused his dimples to appear and she resisted the urge to reach out and poke them.

"If you must know, I have quite the passion for art."

"Art?"

"Painting, sketching and such. You see love, I am an artist in my spare time. I have quite the collection of works back home and I have several buyers both in and outside of New Orleans."

Caroline's eyes widened. So he was hot, British, intelligent and creative. _Well fuck me, please_.

Caroline mentally slapped herself for even thinking such a thing and tried to focus on their conversation.

"So you're an established artist? Wow. I wasn't expecting that." She said, shaking her head in disbelief. He furrowed his brows in confusion.

"And why is that?"

Caroline shrugged. "I don't know. I think I'm just still getting used to the fact that everyone in this town in creative in some way. Back in Mystic Falls and New York, there isn't many people like that. Mystic Falls is pretty plain and New York is full of business people."

"That must be a rather tiring and boring life." Klaus said thoughtfully and Caroline watched him carefully as they walked, listening intently as he spoke. "I cannot imagine a world without the arts after living here in New Orleans. This city is crawling with artists of all kinds. Musicians, performers such as yourself, artists, there is even a little voodoo shop down the end of Bourbon Street." Klaus informed her and she couldn't help but giggle at the concept of a voodoo shop. "Art makes everything that much more intriguing. A painting is not just a picture. It tells the story of the artist. It's deep, personal. Just how a musicians original music tells the story of their emotions and how a writer tells a story through words on paper. Everyone in this town has a story they want the world to hear."

The entire time he spoke, Caroline listened in and watched him with awe. This was the infamous assassin of New Orleans telling her about the meaning behind his passion for art. This was the man who was such an expert in killing people that he had earned himself the name The Hybrid. This professional murderer was telling her the history of New Orleans and was showing her around her new home. He was speaking to her like a true gentleman and he was treating her with nothing but kindness.

_Surely this isn't the same guy, right?_

It wasn't until now did Caroline realise she was holding her breath. She had been too stunned by his words to notice.

"Do you think that maybe one day you could show me your paintings?" she asked, genuinely curious now. If she was going to get him to open up to her to make her job easier, what better place to start than with his artwork? He did say after all that they were personal.

He appeared to be putting deep thought into his answer. Maybe he wasn't that easily manipulated after all.

"Maybe some time in the near future." He said and turned his gaze back to her. "We'll see."

She pressed her lips together and gave him a small nod. "Okay. Maybe one day." She said, her voice having a mixture of both disappointment and optimism at the same time.

He gave her a sincere smile before putting a hand on the small of her back and gesturing around them with his other arm. Caroline felt as if a jolt of electricity shot through her when he touched her.

"Now come along, love," he said and led her down the street to what appeared to be a lush park. "There is plenty more to see of New Orleans."

* * *

Katherine sat at the bar once again while Caroline was performing, throwing back another shot she had gotten some guy to buy her. Okay, sure this guy was hot but he was a total cocky fuckwit that she honestly just wanted to get rid of. She just wanted him around for the free drinks. Call her a cheapskate, she didn't care. She wasn't the only girl who did this. In fact, she always did this, but this time she did not have any desire to go home with him, especially once she saw Elijah speaking to Kol over at the other end of the bar.

Katherine put her shot glass down and stood up from her chair, only to have the guy grab hold of her arm.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"I'm leaving, Jack Daniels."

"My name is Joe." He corrected her.

"I don't give a shit what your name is." She said bluntly and turned her gaze back over to the well-dressed Elijah. "I need to go talk to someone."

"Talk to me. And if you want, later we can do more than talk."

Katherine slowly turned her gaze back to him, a sadistic smirk on her face. "Gee, how could I turn down that offer? Oh, what was I thinking?" she said sarcastically and face-palmed herself, then pretended that realization hit her. "Oh! I know now! Because I don't give a fucking shit what you want and because I want to go talk to someone." She finally shot back at him.

He stood up from his chair and pulled her closer. She could smell the alcohol rolling off of him.

"Come on, baby. You know you want to go home with me."

Katherine yanked her arm out of his grip and glared at him, her fists clenched. "On the contrary, Johnny Walker. I'm not going anywhere with you."

He frowned and grabbed at her waist tightly. Out of reflex and because she was infuriated, she punched him square in the face. The man screamed and grabbed at his nose. Katherine could see the blood starting to seep from between his fingers.

"Oops. My hand slipped." She said, feigning innocence. He just glared at her.

"You bitch! I'm going to –"

"Hey!" Kol yelled from over the bar. "Leave her alone or get the fuck out of my bar. The last thing I need is the cops coming in here."

Katherine stood there with her feet firmly on the ground, making a point that she wasn't leaving. The man daggered her venomously before storming out of the bar.

Katherine turned around when she felt a hand gently touch her arm and saw Elijah looking down at her. She felt a smile play over her lips, replacing the hard glare that was there just a few seconds ago.

"Hello Elijah." She purred as she looked him over. _Damn, he looked hot in a suit._

"Katerina." He said with a curt nod as he addressed her. She felt her stomach do backflips at the way he said her name. He looked her over carefully as he assessed her for any injuries. "Are you alright? I couldn't help but notice your discomfort with that man bothering you."

She felt her smile grow at the concern in his voice. He was so formal, it was hot.

"I'm fine, Elijah. I can take care of myself well enough but thank you for the concern."

"Very well." He said with a nod and gestured to the bar. "Could I have the privilege of buying you a drink?"

"How could I say no when you talk to me like that?" she said with a smirk. He ordered a fruit-based cocktail for Katherine and a glass of bourbon for himself. Once their drinks arrived, Elijah handed Katherine hers and she accepted it gratefully, taking a sip of it before she reached out to run his tie between her fingers.

"I like your suit." She said and looked up at him through thick lashes, a seductive smile on her face. "You look hot in a suit and tie."

Elijah smiled and looked down at his tumbler of bourbon, feeling bashful before bringing his gaze back to hers. "Thank you for the compliment, Katerina. You look dashing this evening, too, if I may say so."

Katherine bit back her smile and let her hand fall back to her side as she leaned against the bar. "You kill me with your compliments, you know that right? You are the definition of a gentleman."

"I've never seen any reason to behave rudely towards people, especially a woman. It's rather disappointing to see what most people have reduced to these days, especially the men. It's quite disrespectful to speak to a lady as that man spoke to you tonight."

Katherine shook her head in disbelief. He was so perfect. "Why are there not more men like you in this world?"

* * *

Klaus stared into the fireplace in thought as he swirled the amber liquid around in his tumbler. Since he had come back home from his evening with Caroline, he hadn't been able to take his mind off of her. Why was she any different from every other woman he had met in his lifetime? He couldn't put his finger on why he had become so taken by the blonde beauty when he first saw her perform on the stage at his brother's bar. There was something about her that had caught his attention. He didn't know why, so it had become to bother him, the girl always on his mind whenever there was a moment of silence for his thoughts to wander. She was a gorgeous woman, there was no doubt about it. Her beauty had struck him instantly but he knew there was more to her than that.

He sipped on his bourbon as he stared into the flames. Apart from his thoughts being consumed by Caroline, he had other things on his mind too, such as Sophie Deveraux. The woman had been a nightmare and he had been looking for the perfect opportunity to remove her from New Orleans. Now that she had threatened Kol's business, that had just put the icing on the cake. No one messed with his family.

Klaus looked up from the fire when he heard a presence behind him. He didn't need to turn around to know it was Stefan. He could tell by the sound of his footsteps.

"Finally decided to make an appearance, Rippah?" he sneered before turning to face his friend.

Stefan shrugged slightly and held his arms out at his sides. "Does it matter? I'm here now." He said and took a step forward. "What did you need to tell me?"

Klaus finished his tumbler of bourbon and moved to the table to pour himself another glass, including one for Stefan. He picked up the two glasses and handed one to his friend and held his own up to his lips.

"It's quite simple really." He said with a devious smirk, his eyes turning dark. "I want to inform you of my plan for killing Sophie Deveraux."

* * *

**What did you all think? Did you like finally seeing a little of Klaus' darker side? What did you think of Stefan making and appearance and being associated with Klaus? Did you like the snippet of Kalijah and the Klaroline scene? Let me know!**

**Follows are lovely, favorites make my day and reviews put me in a great mood!**

**Celeste xoxo**


	5. Thou Art A Villain

**Hello my dears! Sorry it has taken so long. Life has been unfairly hectic lately. I've had to deal with a lot of drama, work, rehearsals, loss etc., so it has been a complete nightmare to balance everything. I updated this fic though, so that's good! **

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 5: _Thou Art A Villain_**

* * *

Caroline sat at a small table outside The Coffee House with Katherine, sipping on her mocha. The day was cool, the chilled wind blew lightly causing shivers to occasionally run down Caroline's spine even though she was dressed in warm clothes. Caroline wore blue skinny jeans with a white knitted woollen sweater and a beige scarf loosely wrapped around her neck. Katherine, as per usual, was wearing leather tights, a fitted black top that had a lace trim along the neckline and a leather jacket to keep herself warm. Katherine had on her black heeled boots – Katherine couldn't live without her shoes – and Caroline compared them to her comfortable and casual converses that kept her feet warm.

"So have you got an update on your potential fake psycho boyfriend?" Katherine asked as she scrolled through her phone. Caroline took another sip of her mocha, wrapping her fingers around the cup to warm them before answering her friend with a shake of her head.

"Nothing of importance, really. He showed me around New Orleans yesterday, though. He seems to know everything about this place. I wouldn't be surprised if he knew everything about everyone living here, too."

"Did he say anything that might be relevant to our mission?" Katherine pressed on, her attention now fully on Caroline.

Caroline shook her head. "Not necessarily. In fact, he's making me doubt that we've even got the right guy, Kat. He was telling me about the history of the city and his passion for the arts. Kat, he's an artist. An established artist at that. He fucking paints!" she said then dropped her voice to a whisper. "What assassin goes around killing people and then decides to take up a paintbrush and use painting techniques developed by freaking Vincent Van Gogh?"

Katherine pressed her palms onto the table and leaned forward, looking Caroline dead in the eyes. "We've got the right guy, Care. He is just apparently really good at covering it up. Don't fall for the façade he's playing up. Besides, you don't know if he really is a real artist or not. He could be bullshitting."

Caroline shook her head, unsure. "I don't know, Kat. He told me he might show me his artwork one day. Surely he wouldn't say that if he was lying about being an artist."

"That's beside the point." Katherine said as she held a hand up to silence Caroline. "The point is that he is the go-to assassin in New Orleans and we need to put a stop to him. For good."

"I know." Caroline said with a nod of her head as Katherine eyed her warily.

"Don't get too attached to this guy, Caroline. You know what he is and what he does." She reminded her. "He's not just that sexy, charming guy we met in the bar. He's a murderer."

"I know." Caroline repeated, this time more firmly to show her friend that she knew what she was doing. Katherine watched her as she pouted her lips thoughtfully for a long moment before letting out a drawn-out sigh.

"Alright. Okay." She finally said and Caroline felt relief wash over her. She knew what she was doing, she just needed Katherine to believe that she could stay in control and handle the situation perfectly fine as she always did with everything else in her life. She was a perfectionist and nothing would disrupt her usual routine.

Katherine went back to scrolling through her phone while Caroline sipped on her mocha. As she let her hot beverage warm her slim fingers again, she let her gaze hover over her surroundings. She listened to the quiet bustle of cars driving past and people milling about as she sipped her coffee and chocolate-filled drink. The faint sound of someone playing an acoustic guitar filled the air from down the street. Caroline's eyes landed on a middle-aged man sitting at the table nearby hers reading the newspaper. It wasn't the man himself that had caught her interest though. It was the newspaper. She narrowed her eyes as she tried to make out the black print on the front page as the man pushed it towards the centre of the table so he could pay attention to his coffee.

"Where are you going?" Katherine said as she watched Caroline stand up from her chair and make her way over to the man. She twiddled her thumbs a little nervously and gave the man a kind smile once she approached him. He looked up at her from his coffee and looked at her quizzically.

"Can I help you, young lady?"

"Hi, sorry," she started and gave him an apologetic smile before pointing to the newspaper in the middle of his table, "I was just wondering if I could have a quick read of that newspaper."

"I didn't think a young woman like yourself would be interested in the daily news." He said sceptically.

Caroline let out a soft laugh. "Well I'm an exception. May I?"

He nodded and pushed the paper towards her. "Of course. It's the café's after all, not mine."

She took the paper from him and gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you." She said before leaving him to his coffee and heading back to her table where Katherine was waiting for her with a brow raised.

"You read the paper?"

"No," she said as she examined the front page before holding it out for Katherine to see, "But look at the front page article."

Katherine narrowed her eyes at the paper as she read out the article title. "'_Bad Business in New Orleans: Local business woman from New Orleans found dead in own home.'_" She read out then looked to Caroline. "Shit. Do you think…?"

Caroline nodded, knowing what Katherine was about to say. "Yeah, I think it's the Hybrid's work."

Caroline took the paper back and scanned over the article. As she read over it, the pieces started to fit together. Her eyes widened and her jaw fell slack. "Oh my God…" she breathed and Katherine furrowed her brows in confusion.

"What is it?"

"Oh my God."

"What is it?" Katherine demanded this time. Caroline looked up from the paper to her friend and put the newspaper down in front of Katherine. She pointed at the victim's name that was printed into the article.

"The victim's name is Sophie Deveraux. I saw her and Kol talking the other day in Black Magic. She was talking to him about how he owed her $100,000 for the building by the time the next six months were up. It's part of the reason why he hired me to perform there – because he needs his business to boom so he can make enough profit to pay off the building."

"What, do you think Kol has something to do with her murder?"

Caroline shook her head. "Not necessarily but I do think we need to talk to him."

"Why bother? We know who the assassin is. This murder is either the work of the Hybrid or it's just a pop up murder. Yes, it's unfortunate that this woman has been killed, but she's not why we are here. The local police are taking care of her case. We are here to take out the infamous assassin of New Orleans, not to do the New Orleans police's job." Katherine reminded the blonde.

"We are technically still doing their job." Caroline pointed out.

"No, we are just handling something that they can't. It's completely different."

"No it isn't."

"Oh, shut up and finish your mocha." Katherine scoffed and folded her arms over her chest as she leaned back in her chair. Caroline smirked at her friend which only forced Katherine to turn her head away from her, clearly annoyed by the fact that Caroline was right.

* * *

After Caroline had finished her coffee, the two women went past the bar to see if Kol was around. They found April working behind the bar, wiping down the bar bench with a cloth. Her bright blue eyes lit up and she smiled when she saw them walk in. April waved over at them as they approached her and greeted them kindly.

"Surely you're not that eager for another shift." April joked once Caroline was in earshot. Caroline laughed and shook her head.

"As much as I love performing and being here, a girl needs a break every now and then."

"Don't we all?" April said and the two laughed. Katherine stood by and impatiently tapped her foot as she crossed her arms.

"I was wondering if Kol was around. I needed to talk to him about something the other day but he wasn't here." Caroline said and April frowned.

"Sorry, Caroline. He's not in today. It's just myself and Matt at the moment. He will be in tonight though. He doesn't necessarily take day shifts. He's always on at night, though."

"And why would you want to speak with my incompetent little brother when you can have the pleasure of my company, sweetheart?"

Caroline's mouth hung agape when his voice stopped her from responding to April. She spun around to face him, her blonde curls bouncing around her shoulders to see the deadly yet attractive man behind her. A ghost of a smile made its way to her lips and she couldn't help but feel the guilt in the pit of her stomach that came with it. She knew he was a murderer but it didn't mean that she couldn't appreciate how drop-dead sexy he was – no pun intended.

"Klaus." She breathed, her voice airy. She realised she had been holding her breath. He seemed to notice it too and gave her a smirk that displayed his dimples. She felt her stomach do backflips at the sight before her. _Damn him and that sexy smirk and those cute dimples and his eyes and just everything._ "I just needed to talk to him about work." She replied as evenly as she could in her current state.

"Sounds exciting." He said with mock enthusiasm, causing Caroline to let her smile fully appear and let out an airy laugh.

"Well I need to pay my bills somehow." She said and fell silent after that. She found herself chewing on her bottom lip as her eyes focused on his for a long moment before dropping down to his cherry red lips. She forced her eyes back up to his, mentally shaking herself but not achieving much when she saw he was still watching her. Caroline held her breath as their eyes stayed locked on each other. His eyes were a brilliant blue and she wondered how someone could have such an intense stare. She opened her mouth to say something but was too entranced by the handsome man before her to form a complete sentence – at least until none other than Katherine Pierce snapped her fingers in front of her face to bring her back to attention.

Caroline blinked a few times as she turned to the brunette. "What?"

Katherine rolled her eyes at Caroline and sighed dramatically. "While you two ogle each other, I'm going to talk to Elijah." She said, ending with a smirk before making her way over to the poor man who had more or less become Katherine's prey since their first encounter.

"I feel sorry for him." Caroline said as she watched her friend make her way over to Elijah and run a hand flirtatiously down his arm. Klaus' gaze followed Caroline's to the pair interacting on the other side of the bar and quickly dismissed it.

"Elijah can handle himself fairly well. He's too moral to try anything too brash."

"Katherine likes brash." Caroline said which earned her another smirk on Klaus' part.

"So I can tell, which is why she is going to be disappointed, unless she miraculously makes him agree to do whatever she pleases. She should know, though, that no woman has ever succeeded apart from one."

Caroline raised a brow at him in question. "Do I dare to ask?"

"I think you'd rather not."

Caroline laughed lightly. "Fair enough."

Klaus' smirk turned into a ghost of a smile as he ran a hand through his hair before putting his hands in his jeans pockets. He looked away from her briefly before turning his gaze back to hers and taking a step towards her, leaving little space between them.

"I came to speak with you for a reason, Caroline." He started and Caroline held her breath, both from the closeness and from the way her name rolled off his accented tongue.

"What reason is that?" she asked and swallowed the lump in her throat, her nerves getting the better of her.

He looked down bashfully before lifting his piercing blue eyes back to her. Caroline kept her eyes on him the whole time, completely captivated by his intense stare.

"I was going to ask if you would like to accompany me to dinner tonight." He said and gave her what Caroline thought was almost a puppy dog look with his eyes. _How could a killer appear so innocent?_ She didn't know how, but clearly Klaus knew.

A shy smile took over her lips and her cheeks flushed as she blurted out her answer without any thought. "Yeah, sure." She said then mentally slapped herself. She just agreed to a date with the guy she was supposed to eliminate. _Good job, Care._ "I'd like that a lot."

He grinned widely at her willingness and took her hand in his to place a chaste kiss on her knuckles. She bit down on her lip as she tried to keep herself from blushing further but it was no use. Her cheeks were on fire and she couldn't hide the smile from her face.

"Be ready by seven-thirty, sweetheart. I'll stop by and pick you up." He told her as he let her hand go, the grin now gone and replaced by that devilish smirk once again. "I assure you, it's going to be a lovely evening."

* * *

If anyone were to say anything about Caroline speeding home eagerly to prepare for her date with Klaus, she would end them within a heartbeat. People would usually take her threats and do as she said, but not Katherine Pierce. Caroline knew her friend had a mind of her own, so when she brought up Caroline's eagerness, she couldn't backlash unless she wanted an earful from the brunette.

"Just remember that it's not an actual date for you. You're on work and you're going to get information out of him, but for him, it's a date. Remember that." Katherine said as she sat on Caroline's bed with one leg crossed over the other. She watched as Caroline frantically ran around her bedroom, running between her dressing table and her wardrobe.

"I know, I know." Caroline said as she looked through the dresses in her wardrobe. "But I still need to look hot." When Caroline saw the look her friend was giving her, she rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to do anything half-ass. I need to look hot. If I'm going to get answers out of him, I need to use my feminine charm."

Katherine scoffed and got up from the bed. "Well if you're planning on using your body to seduce him to get answers, then pick something that shows off your body." She said and shook her head in distaste at the maxi-dress Caroline had just pulled out of her closet. Katherine took the dress away from her and held it up. "This right here, is something you wear to the beach over a bikini."

"No it's not!" Caroline protested as Katherine shoved it back into the closet. "It's a summer dress!"

"Well Klaus doesn't want a girl in a summer dress. He wants a woman in something short and tight just like every man with a dick wants."

"Not Elijah." Caroline quipped with a smirk. "His suit and tie say otherwise. Besides, Klaus even told me that he has always been a moral man and never does anything outrageous."

Katherine scoffed. "Okay then. Believe your serial killer date. Elijah could be like Christian Grey." She said with a wink and Caroline saw the smirk take over her lips. "Sexy in a suit and even sexier naked."

"Okay, stop." Caroline cut her off, lifting her hands in front of her and shaking her head. "I don't need to know your 50 Shades fantasies."

"No, you don't, but I sure want to know how dirty Klaus' are once he sees you in this." Katherine said as she pulled out a short black dress from the wardrobe. It was one Caroline had tucked away into the back of her closet that she usually saved for when she went out clubbing. It was a short, fitted dress that hugged her curves nicely and displayed enough cleavage to leave any man drooling. Needless to say, the strapless dress could work wonders. It had in the past, so why not tonight?

Caroline sighed and took the dress. "Fine. I'll wear it."

Two hours later, Katherine had finished Caroline's makeover for her date and promptly left – after bragging about how great her style was – knowing that Klaus was to arrive and pick up Caroline shortly. Caroline's makeup suited her dress – thanks to Katherine's handiwork – and her hair hung over one shoulder in large curls. Katherine had given Caroline smokey eyes with dark red lipstick that matched her red stilettoes. As Caroline stood in front of the tall mirror in her room and examined her appearance, she wondered if Klaus would even be able to look at her without his jaw dropping. She bit back a smirk at the thought, secretly liking the idea of making the most notorious killer in the streets of New Orleans speechless because of the sight of her, and deep down, she knew she was going to enjoy being on this date more than she should.

About ten minutes later while Caroline was shuffling around her apartment to make it presentable, there was a knock at her door. She quickly picked up a discarded_ Vogue_ magazine from her plush white couch and put it down neatly on her coffee table before making her way over to the door. When she opened it, she sure wasn't expecting the sight before her.

He was dressed to the nines in a black suit and tie with a white dress shirt underneath the jacket. His hair was styled neatly and she couldn't help but smile at the fact that he had gone through all the effort to dress formally for their date. He had a smirk on his face and _holy shit, are those roses?!_

A moment later, Caroline noticed the smirk was gone as his eyes looked over her body hungrily, reminding her about the dress she was wearing which she had temporarily forgotten about when eyeing the man in front of her. She tried to not feel self-conscious of her body as his eyes raked over her, taking in every inch of her before bringing his eyes back up to hers.

"May I say you look absolutely ravishing in that dress, sweetheart." He said and Caroline held back a smirk when she heard the breathless tone in his voice.

"Thank you." She said sweetly as she smoothed out her dress with her hands. She couldn't help the blush that crept into her cheeks. "You look rather dapper yourself."

As if it never disappeared, his smirk was back. "Only for you, love." He held out the bouquet of roses to her. "For you, Caroline, if you would so kindly accept them."

Her blush deepened as she took the roses with a smile. "Thank you." She said softly before reaching up and placing a kiss on his cheek. She saw his smirk widened when she pulled away and thought about just how much she was boosting the ego of the serial killer in front of her, but quickly dismissed the thought. She lifted the roses to her nose and breathed in the beautiful aroma that came with the stunning red flowers. "They're lovely."

"I'm glad you like them, sweetheart." He said genuinely before looking at his watch. "Are you ready to go?"

She nodded. "Almost. Just let me put these in a vase and grab my clutch." She quickly headed back into her apartment and put the roses in a vase of water before grabbing her clutch and making her way back to the door. She locked her apartment behind her before turning around to find him holding his arm out for her.

"Shall we go?" he asked and she felt herself go even redder – if that was even possible – at the gentlemanly gesture and linked her arm through his. She couldn't understand this man. Roses, great manners, he was seriously attractive, a total gentleman, British with an unbelievably sexy accent, and yet it had to be ruined with the fact that he was the number one killer in New Orleans. Someone up there must seriously hate her. _That's just my luck, go figure. _

* * *

"_You look absolutely ravishing in that dress, Sweetheart."_

"_The lady here will have your finest wine."_

"_Surely a beautiful woman as yourself would have no trouble with that."_

"_Only the finest for you, sweetheart."_

"_Surely a strong woman as yourself can take a chance on a bloke like me, Caroline."_

"_Only for you, love."_

"_Take a chance, Caroline."_

"_And why is that, my dear Caroline?"_

"_Sweetheart…"_

"_Love…"_

…

_Oh my God._

Caroline was dying. Not actually dying. She was just dying to throw herself at Klaus throughout their entire date so far but knew that she couldn't. She couldn't develop feelings for this man. She had to suppress whatever attraction was there and just do her job that she was strictly ordered to do. Get close to the man, then kill him. Easy.

At least it seemed easy at first, but the more she got to know him, the more she ended up liking him. It was a constant battle between her mind and her heart. She wanted to give in to desire, but she knew that if she did, then she would only make it harder for herself when the time came to remove Klaus from this world. She couldn't get attached. She had to keep her emotions in check.

"So why art, though? What made you want to be an artist?" she asked as she took a sip of her wine. _Good God, this wine must cost a fortune!_

"I've always been creatively gifted since I was young and I like the story that comes with every painting, as I've told you before. I have a great appreciation for the arts. That, and I've always been good with my hands."

_I bet you are… Stop, Caroline! No dirty thoughts! _However, she couldn't stop herself from smirking or the words flowing from her mouth.

"I'm sure you are." She said and felt herself blush. She saw an amused smirk play across his lips as she tried to recover herself. "I mean, everyone is good at something. I can sing, for instance, so I'm good with my mouth." Her eyes widened when she realised it came out wrong and he started laughing. She felt as if her cheeks were on fire for the millionth time that day. "I mean I'm good with my voice. My voice." She clarified but the embarrassment still showed in her flustered expression.

"I know what you meant, love." He said earnestly and Caroline released a sigh of relief.

"Good, or else I would be mentally slapping myself for the rest of the night. I seriously need a filter."

"Not necessarily. I do quite enjoy your rambling." He said with a teasing smirk and she felt her cheeks go as red as her lipstick. "And I rather like that I make you so flustered, Caroline." He teased even further, causing her to yet again, blush even more.

"Okay, now I know you're doing it on purpose. Your tricks aren't going to work now." She replied smugly as she pointed a finger at him. This earned a chuckle on his behalf, followed by a look of determination.

"Maybe I'll just have to flatter you even more from now on then, sweetheart."

She went to go reply, but once again, his '_sweetheart_' comment had caught her off guard and made her fall silent. He took it as a victory and she let out a resigned sigh.

"Okay, you win. You got me." She giggled and took another sip of her wine.

Giggled? She actually giggled? _No, Caroline. Stop flirting with the enemy!_ She scolded herself, but then reminded herself that she had to get into his good books if she wanted to have a better chance of killing him without him suspecting. She had to come up with a plan and take action. Tonight.

"I always win." He replied with a devious smirk – one that said he never lost. _Oh Klaus, if only you knew you were going to lose even sooner than you thought…_

Once dinner was done, Klaus escorted Caroline back home to her apartment and pulled the car up in front of the building. He climbed out of the car and made his way over to her side to open the door for her and offered her his hand. She took it with a shy smile and climbed out of the car, giving him a grateful "thank you" as she did so. Deciding that leaving it with him just dropping her home wasn't enough, she took a leap of faith.

"Thank you for tonight." She said sweetly as she held onto her clutch in front of her as she lightly swayed back and forth on her heels. "I really enjoyed it."

Seeming pleased by her comment, he smiled before taking her hand and pressing a kiss on top of it. "It was my pleasure, Caroline."

Caroline smiled as he kissed her hand and she couldn't help but think that this was like those scenes in the movies when the guy drops the girl off at home. They talk for a little about how much they enjoyed their night together and then they stare into each other's eyes before leaning in and sharing their first kiss – a kiss that makes them both feel as if fireworks are going off and that they are the only two people in the world in that moment. Caroline had never had one of those moments but she wanted to. She wanted to have a special chick-flick movie moment with someone. She thought about it for a moment, then noticed Klaus' eyes locked on her. _This is it_, she thought. _This is my movie moment!_ But before he could lean in and press his luscious lips to hers, she spoke up.

"Would you like to come inside?"

He stopped himself to look at her briefly before a ghost of a smile played across his lips.

"I would love to go inside, sweetheart."

* * *

**_Ooooh_ what is going to happen next?! Who knows?! I ain't saying anything, so you're gonna have to wait until the next chapter! Hehehe *evil laugh* _Cliffhannngggeeeerrrrr!_ **

**What do you think is going to happen? I've already got it all planned out, so I'd love to hear what you all think! Let me know in reviews! But for now, adieu!**

**Ex oh ex oh  
****Gossip Goat**

**LOL! Jokes!**

**Celeste xoxo**


	6. Names

**Hello lovelies! First of all, I am soooo sorry for not updating for several weeks. I had a shitload of rehearsals and uni work and my two week season of Romeo & Juliet. I have finished my two weeks season - which was a total success and such an amazing experience that I will never forget - and can now get back to writing! The second thing I wna tto apologise for is the length of this chapter. It's not very long, but it is necessary.**

**Chapter 6: _Names_**

* * *

"_I would love to go inside, sweetheart."_

Those were the simple but deadly words he replied with to her offer. Because of his decision, the direction of several lives were going to be altered, all from one ulterior motive of the blonde in front of him that held a deadly secret that could mean his end. That's what she had been paid to do – she had to fulfil her duties and she was determined to be as efficient and quick as she could. There was no time to waste.

Now they were heading upstairs to her apartment on the third floor and the different possibilities to eliminate Klaus were running through Caroline's mind at 100 miles per hour. Slit his throat with a kitchen knife? Give him a drink and spike it? Sneak her gun in hand and shoot him as she seduced him? She knew they would all work, but they all had flaws, too.

She opened up her clutch to retrieve her keys and tried to keep her composure as she looked for the right key, not wanting him to see or hear how the keys were jingling because of her shaking hands. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't that lucky.

"Are you alright, Caroline?" he had asked, noticing how her body shook. She pressed her lips into a thin line and resisted the urge to roll her eyes at herself for not being able to conceal it. Making up an answer on the spot, she decided to give lying a shot.

"Yeah. I'm just cold."

She finally found the right key but stopped herself from unlocking the door when she felt a sudden warmth on her shoulders. She looked over her shoulder and saw him putting his jacket over her to keep her warm. It was the complete gesture of a gentleman. _Stop being so polite!_ She internally screamed. _You're making it harder to kill you!_

Instead of voicing her conflicted thoughts, she gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you." She said in a soft voice and in return, the corner of his lips lifted up into a smile.

"You're quite welcome, love."

Taking a deep breath and hugging his jacket closer to her, she unlocked the door and stepped inside her apartment, stepping to the side to let him in after her. Once inside, she shut the door and as quietly as possible and locked it.

"Would you like anything to drink?" she asked as she walked over to the kitchen. Caroline had a decent sized apartment, but still her kitchen, dining room and lounge room were in the same space. The room was a reasonable size, allowing plenty of space to move around, but it wasn't large either. After all, she was the only one living there.

"If you have one then I'll have one." He had replied as he leaned back against the kitchen bench with his arms folded. Caroline looked over the wine rack to find a good bottle and slipped her apartment key inside the rack discreetly as Klaus looked around patiently. She wanted the key to be hidden well, but close enough in case she needed to make a run for it. Once she hid the key, she chose a bottle of red.

"Is shiraz alright with you? It's currently the only decent bottle I have at the moment." She which earned a chuckle from both of them.

"It's fine, love."

She smiled and retrieved two wine glasses from the cabinet and poured the wine. She placed the bottle back on the wine rack before grabbing the two glasses and handing one to him.

"Thank you for tonight. I had a lot of fun." She admitted and felt her cheeks flush. For the moment, she felt fortunate for having fair skin, so her blush was noticeable and made her act more convincing… or so she told herself it was an act. Yes, she had to kill him, but it didn't mean that she couldn't think he was attractive.

"And thank you for allowing me to have the pleasure of your company." He replied along with that devilish smirk that always had Caroline's heart beating rapidly. "And if you would be so kind, I would love to spend another evening with you, Caroline."

He had that hopeful yet dangerous glint in his eyes as he looked her dead in the eyes. She tried to not swallow the lump in her throat, not wanting to make her nerves obvious – his gaze was that intense. Finding the strength and courage within herself, she gave him a sweet smile and nodded.

"I would like that very much." She then raised her wine glass between them. "Here's to a fun night."

His smirk grew as he clinked his glass against hers "And many more to come."

_Oh Klaus. If only you knew how wrong you truly were…_

An hour later, they were sitting on the couches in her lounge room chatting and laughing over another glass of wine. During that time, Caroline had given him his jacket back and had gone to put on one of her own. While she was in her room putting her jacket on, she took the opportunity to search for the box at the back of her wardrobe that hid a collection of guns, knives and a taser, and slid a small knife into her jacket pocket. Hesitating for a moment, she decided to grab another knife just in case and placed it in her other jacket pocket.

She made her way back into the lounge room and took her seat opposite him as she picked up her glass from the coffee table, her other hand in her pocket and clutching onto the handle of the knife. "Sorry about that." She apologised. "I didn't want to take your jacket from you when I have my wardrobe just down the hall."

"It's not a problem, Caroline, really." He took a drink of his wine. They had made it through most of the bottle already.

Caroline considered getting up from her spot and going to sit on the couch next to him. If she had to attempt to seduce him to complete her mission, she would. After all, he had expressed nothing but interest in her since the moment they had met, so surely he would go along with it if she started flirting with him. Feeling a little courageous and bold, Caroline moved to stand up from her seat, but her attempts were halted when he set down his glass and asked her where abouts the bathroom was. She withheld her disappointment and told him where it was. However, her determination hadn't diminished yet. Instead, she took it as an opportunity. Once the bathroom door had closed, she grabbed his jacket that was hanging over the arm of the couch and searched the pockets. Sure enough, she found his phone. She quickly looked at the list of his previous phone calls and took a picture of it on her own phone before moving onto his recent text messages. She quickly scrolled through them, her mind going 100 miles an hour as her eyes raced over the names and messages, stopping to properly read several long messages she had found he had sent to a man by the name of Stefan Salvatore. She looked through the message and realised it was a list of names. One of the names on the list stood out to her the most. It was a woman she remembered seeing at Black Magic and in the newspaper the other day. Sophie Deveraux.

It was then that Caroline realised this message could only be one thing. A hit list.

She heard the sounds of the toilet flushing and the tap running and she fumbled to take a picture of the list and put his phone back. She tried to make sure his phone and jacket were back where they originally were so he didn't grow suspicious of her motives and she sat back down on the couch with her wine. The second she brought the glass to her lips, the door opened and he came back out to sit down next to her.

He started talking to her again and she would have been hanging onto every word he said if it weren't for the evidence she just found running through her mind. Her plan was to kill him tonight, to get the mission over with as quickly and efficiently as possible, but now she knew she couldn't do that anymore. Klaus had connections and she couldn't kill the only lead they had to his connections. What was the point in killing off the Hybrid if he still had plenty of men who he was working with still living and breathing? She and Katherine would have to find them first before they spilled Klaus' blood.

She knew it wasn't right, but part of her was relieved that he could see another day and that she would have the opportunity to see his face again. As if it wasn't bad enough, she hated herself for even feeling remotely glad that she didn't have to kill him yet.

* * *

"Bitch, open the fucking door already!"

Katherine's incessant knocking and yelling could probably be heard through the entire building. Caroline would have gotten the door for her friend straight away had she not been in the shower when Katherine had arrived. Caroline pulled her shirt on as she rushed over to the door and unlocked it to let her friend inside. She didn't even have to pull the door open for her; Katherine just barged right in.

"Show me the list." Katherine demanded and Caroline closed the door gently behind her with a roll of her eyes.

"Good morning to you, too." Caroline said sarcastically.

Katherine scoffed. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." She held out her hand expectantly. "Show me the hit list."

Caroline sighed and took out her phone. She searched through all the images on the phone until she found the one she was looking for and held it out to Katherine. Katherine looked it over quickly before taking out her own phone and dialling a number. They waited for a few rings until the other person picked up.

"Hey Saltzman." Katherine said. "We've got news for you."

"News is an understatement." Caroline added as she looked over the hit list again.

"Well stop procrastinating. What is the news?"

"Turns out Care's Romeo here has a little friend that he has been developing a rather long hit list with. We can confirm that one of the names on the list was recently found dead. Her name was Sophie Deveraux."

Caroline tried to not blush at Katherine's 'Romeo' remark, but she couldn't help that her cheeks turned bright red. Trying to cover up her embarrassment, she cut in.

"And this friend of his goes by the name Stefan Salvatore. You might want to do some research on him and let us know as soon as possible. I don't want to risk Klaus somehow finding my internet history."

"Fair enough." Alaric said. Caroline could almost picture him stroking his chin thoughtfully. "I will get Vaughn onto the research as soon as possible. As for you Caroline, how has your little charade been coming along with our suspect?"

Caroline caught the grin that slowly reached both of Katherine's ears and she daggered her before she could say anything to embarrass her. "It's going fine. Great actually. He seems to genuinely have feelings for me. He took me out on a date and that was how I got the information about the hit list. He left for a few minutes and I snooped through his phone."

"You would be a horrible girlfriend." Katherine said. Caroline narrowed her eyes at her, but Katherine only shrugged. "I wouldn't like anyone snooping through my stuff."

"I did it for the sake of everyone's safety, not because I wanted to see if my fake soon-to-be boyfriend was cheating on me."

"It doesn't matter girls. What matters is that we have got this list now and we need to use this information to our advantage." Alaric took a moment of silence, and Caroline could imagine the wheels in his head turning. "Caroline, can you please read the list out for me?"

Caroline lifted her phone and glanced over the screen. She took a deep breath and read out the list of names. "Sabine Dubious, Francesca Correa, Genevieve Levesque, Connor Jordan, Atticus Shane, Sophie Deveraux." Caroline looked over the list again as she tried to think of every possible scenario. "We know for a fact that Sophie Deveraux is dead, but what about the others?"

"Send me the list and I can get Vaughn to do some digging." Alaric told her. "He is rather keen to take part in this case."

"This is my case," Katherine cut in, getting defensive, "Tell him to go get his own."

Caroline rolled her eyes at Katherine and pressed a few buttons on her phone. "I'll send you the hit-list now, Ric."

"Thank you, Caroline. I'll get the search results to you by tomorrow morning."

"Okay, thanks, Alaric."

The three of them were silent for a moment. The only sound they could hear through the phone was Alaric's steady breaths. Everyone was having a moment of thought.

"Girls, I think you may have some extra work added onto your current mission."

Caroline and Katherine shared a glance at one another before both looking back at Katherine's phone where Alaric's voice had been coming through.

"What is it, Chief?" Katherine asked, voicing the question that was just about to leave Caroline's lips.

"I want you to not just eliminate the Hybrid, but to eliminate any of his connections also, starting with Stefan Salvatore." Caroline chewed on her bottom lip at the sound of the addition to her current assignment. "Don't kill either of them yet. Find out if they have connections to anyone else and wait for me to send you Vaughn's research on the suspects. We don't want any innocents killed by mistake."

Caroline took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly. Extra work on top of an already difficult job. It may be difficult, but if she was organised and prepared enough, she could cope. She gave a slow nod of her head with Katherine.

"I'm up for it." Katherine said, confirming her interest in the extra assignment, not exactly that they had much of a choice to accept or not anyway since they were already there doing the first job.

"Okay." Caroline added, knowing that Klaus' death would now at least be delayed by a few days. She knew she was playing with fire, dancing with the Devil, befriending the enemy, but there was a part of her that didn't care. After all, people always said to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. "We can do that."

* * *

**Let me know what you thought! Reviews put a smile on my face :)**

**But for now, adieu, adieu!**

**Celeste xoxo**

**P.S. My stage manager for Romeo and Juliet totally let me take home one of the retractable daggers as a memorabilia of the production! It's so cool! Eeekkk! (Sorry, had to share my excitement somewhere :P )**


	7. Secrets & Lies

**Hello again, sweethearts! I am _so_ sorry for not updating for about a month! I've been a busy bee lately! I had to catch up on two weeks worth of uni work and I was sick for another 10 days on top of that, so there was even more stuff to catch up on. Anyway, I've been working on this chapter in between all of the chaos, and it's finally done! Have at it sweethearts!**

**Chapter 7: _Secrets & Lies_**

* * *

Caroline was up bright and early the next day and prepared herself for the day ahead. She knew Alaric was going to call her and Katherine first thing in the morning with whatever information Vaughn was able to uncover, so she wanted to be ready for whatever it was she had to do right after the phone call. Katherine had stayed the night, having pretty much invited herself to stay, but Caroline didn't mind. They had stayed up to watch a few episodes of _Arrow_ that they both needed to catch up on, but had eventually fallen asleep while halfway through their marathon.

Caroline had put the bacon in the frying pan to cook over the stove before she decided to go back into her room and attempt to wake Katherine. When she walked in, Katherine was still dead to the world, buried beneath a mountain of pillows and blankets. All Caroline could see of her friend was the mess of chestnut curls splayed across the white pillow. Caroline reached over and shook Katherine's shoulder lightly.

"Kat? Kat, get up. Alaric's going to call us with an update soon." She said but Katherine didn't budge. Caroline put her hands on her hips and looked down at her friend as she shook her head, contemplating how to get her up. Eventually she just decided to strip the blankets away from her and sit on her. Naturally, Katherine retaliated and slapped her.

"Get off of me, you bitch! I'm sleeping!" Katherine shrieked.

"You're not sleeping anymore!" Caroline laughed and flounced off before Katherine could hit her again.

Caroline made her way back into the kitchen, followed by a bleary-eyed Katherine. Caroline attended to the bacon and eggs on the stove while Katherine ran her fingers through her hair, trying to remove the knots from her chestnut curls and put some volume back into them. Just as Caroline was putting the food on the plates, her phone rang. Katherine picked it up from the table and put it on loudspeaker.

"You're on speaker, Saltzman." Katherine said as she placed the phone back on the table while Caroline put down the plates of bacon and eggs for them to eat.

"And don't forget to acknowledge the man who done the research, ladies." An Irish voice said through the phone. Katherine rolled her eyes and Caroline giggled at her reaction.

"How could we forget you, Vaughn?" Caroline said. "It's good to hear your voice again."

"And yours too, Caroline. Katherine, not so much."

"Okay, greetings are over." Alaric interrupted. "Vaughn, tell them what you've got."

The two girls sat quietly as they ate their breakfast and listened to what Vaughn had found out about Klaus and Stefan Salvatore, the two of them desperate for information on their ever-growing assignment.

"Well, turns out that Mister Salvatore here has an older brother." Vaughn said and the two girls shared a look of curiosity. "His name is Damon Salvatore. Tall, dark hair, blue eyes, I'll send you girls a headshot of the guy once we're done here. It seems that the Salvatore brothers have a tendency to move around a lot. They've been all over the globe from what I could find last night. Maybe they were interested in the scenery, if not on the run, who knows? But these boys have travelled like they are on the Amazing Race." Vaughn said which earned a snort from Katherine.

"Anything on the list?" Katherine asked.

"Only the fact that everyone on that list is dead."

Both Caroline and Katherine's jaws dropped.

"What?" Caroline said in complete shock. "Everyone?"

"Yep." Vaughn confirmed. "Everyone. The most recent death was Sophie Deveraux, which was two days ago, but they are all pretty recent. All of them have died within the past three months. Before Sophie, it was Atticus Shane who was found dead in the wine cellar of his own restaurant two weeks earlier."

Caroline pressed her fingers to her temples as she thought, Katherine listening intently as she chewed on her bacon.

"So that's it?" Katherine said. "He's done with his hit list?"

"I wouldn't think so." Alaric said. "This Klaus guy has been New Orleans' most wanted criminal for about a year now. These are only a handful of the deaths he has had part in. I'd say he's going to have a new hit list very soon and I suggest we take him down even sooner. He's quick and efficient with his murders."

"Okay, okay." Caroline said, trying to take it all in as best as she could first thing in the morning. "Anything else we should know?"

"Actually, there is something." Vaughn said. "I did a little research on this Klaus guy. There's only so many people with a name like that, so it didn't take too long to find out who the guy is."

Katherine and Caroline exchanged a confused look. "What are you saying, Vaughn?" Katherine asked.

"I'm saying I have found out his surname. It's Mikaelson. Niklaus Mikaelson."

"_What?!"_ the two girls shrieked in unison.

"Mikaelson?!" Katherine yelled. "Fucking_ Mikaelson_?!"

"I can't believe this." Caroline said with a hand on her forehead. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Seriously?"

"Yeah…" Vaughn said, the confusion clear in his voice. "May I ask why you're reacting this way?"

"Because Mikaelson is the surname of the guy Caroline is working for at the bar." Alaric added in, piecing the puzzle together. "The owner is Kol Mikaelson."

"Woah, woah, woah, hold on a second. That means Rebekah is related to that bastard too!" Katherine said and Caroline groaned in frustration. Katherine slammed her fist down on the table, rattling the cutlery. "I always knew she was a bitch at heart!"

"Kat!" Caroline gasped. "She's our friend!"

"No she's not!" Katherine spat angrily. "She's a suspect."

"Girls, calm down!" Alaric yelled through the phone. The two women fell silent. "Vaughn hasn't finished yet."

"There's more relations." Vaughn told them and Katherine rolled her eyes and groaned. She felt the need to just bang her head against the table. Their mother couldn't have put up with going through childbirth that many times, right? _Right?_

"They also have three other brothers."

"_WHAT THE FUCK?!"_

"_KATHERINE!"_ They all bellowed. Katherine sighed dramatically and sunk back into her seat.

"Anyway, as I was saying, they've got three other brothers. The youngest of the Mikaelson's is named Henrik. He is sixteen. Next is Rebekah, Kol and Klaus who you obviously already know. Then you have Elijah Mikaelson, th–"

"Woah, woah, woah, hold the phone." Katherine cut in, holding her palms out. Her eyes were wide with shock. "Did you just say Elijah?"

Caroline's jaw dropped then. As if there already weren't enough bombs being dropped this morning, this one was of another whole new level. Surely it wasn't the same Elijah that Katherine had been chasing after, but then again, it did make sense…

"Yes, I said Elijah. Why?"

Katherine was stunned into silence. She had lost the ability to speak. Caroline, knowing that her friend needed a moment to process the news, sighed and answered Vaughn's question.

"We know him too." Caroline said gloomily, though she didn't say anymore, knowing that Katherine would probably kill her if she spilt the beans about her private life to Vaughn and Alaric. "And I also know about Henrik already, I guess. Rebekah told me about him when we went out for coffee the other week."

"Even better. You can keep a closer eye on them that way." Vaughn said and Katherine looked like she was about ready to murder someone. "As I was saying, after Elijah, you have Finn. But here's a bittersweet piece of news. You won't need to worry about Finn Mikaelson because he is deceased. He passed away last year."

"What's the cause of death?" Caroline asked.

"Unknown. He was found dead in his apartment. It's suspected that it was murder."

Both Caroline and Katherine's minds were on overdrive, trying to make sense of everything Vaughn had told them. It was so much for first thing in the morning. It wasn't even eight o'clock yet.

"Is that all, guys?" Caroline asked.

"Yeah, that's about it." Alaric said then sighed. "Look girls, I know this is a tough gig, but you've been chosen for a reason. The Government could have assigned anyone this job, and they chose our team. They only pick the best, and I know you have the potential needed to succeed, so don't stress, okay? I've got nothing but faith in both of you."

Caroline couldn't help but crack a smile at that. Katherine on the other hand, pretended to gag.

"Thanks Ric." Caroline said.

"No worries girls. Now go about your mission as planned. We'll send you a copy of the information ASAP." And with that, he hung up.

Caroline sat back in her chair and ran her fingers through her blonde curls as she processed everything Vaughn and Alaric had just told them. Katherine was back to eating her breakfast, though at a much slower pace due to her shock from the new knowledge about Elijah. Katherine was abnormally quiet. It wasn't like her to be silent or caught by surprise for the matter, but she was stunned into silence after that bombshell Vaughn dropped. Caroline sighed and stood up from her chair, deciding to give her friend a moment to come to terms with the possible criminal identity of the man she had been fawning over the past few weeks.

"I'm going to go check if I have any mail in the lobby. I'll be back in five." Caroline told her and Katherine just nodded in response. Caroline grabbed her mail box key from the kitchen bench and headed to her front door. When she opened it, she was greeted with a beautiful fresh fragrance. She looked down at the ground and on her doorstep was a large bouquet of white roses.

Caroline looked up and down the hall to see if anyone was still around that might have put them there, but the halls were empty. She picked up the bouquet and inhaled the sweet smell of the roses before the sound of something light hitting the floor caught her attention. Caroline looked down and saw a small square envelope with her name written on it in masculine handwriting. She picked it up and opened it curiously, holding the bouquet with one arm and silently read the contents of the card.

_These roses are almost as beautiful as you._

– _Klaus_

"Oh my God." Caroline said breathlessly and felt her cheeks burn bright red. She bit down on her bottom lip, trying to keep the smile from appearing on her face. _He left me roses… He actually left me roses!_ A small squeal of excitement passed through her lips and she bounced up and down on her toes which caught Katherine's attention.

"What is it?"

Caroline quickly composed herself and turned around to face her friend. She waved the bouquet and the card around for Katherine to see.

"Guess who just got roses and a card calling them beautiful from a sexy British man?" she said, not able to help the grin that crossed her face.

Katherine raised a brow at Caroline then frowned. She didn't want Caroline to get too absorbed with this guy. They were assigned to kill the bastard soon. It wouldn't be wise for Caroline to get attached.

"You do realise you aren't actually dating him for real, right?" Katherine reminded her. Caroline rolled her eyes.

"I know, but let me enjoy it while it lasts." She said and cradled the bouquet in her arms affectionately. "You only come across a hot British gentleman who spoils you rotten once in a blue moon. Let me have my fun."

* * *

By late afternoon, Klaus had found himself making his way towards his brother's bar. Klaus had more free time than per usual as of late, his schedule not that busy at all now that he had managed to make his way through his list of victims rather quickly. Those people wouldn't be bothering him or his family anymore now that they were buried cold in the ground. Just to make it even better, he had so far succeeded in getting the attention of the young blonde who had arrived in New Orleans only a couple weeks earlier. He had made his interest in her known almost immediately, not wanting to miss a chance with such a stunning woman as her. Sure, in the past he had never been able to keep a stable relationship, nor was it ever his intention to, but something about Caroline Forbes had intrigued him. Klaus couldn't quite put his finger on it. She came across as bubbly like every other woman, but he couldn't help but feel like there was more too her than what she was letting him know. That, and the fact that he liked he was able to get under her skin so easily.

Sure enough, as soon as he stepped into the bar, he heard the blonde's contagious laughter. He searched for the source of the sound and his eyes fell on the tall, slim figure with the golden curls falling down her back. She was standing by a table with that chaotic brunette she claimed to be her friend. Katerina was openly flirting with Elijah while Caroline was engaged in conversation with his sister Rebekah, who was sitting at the table with… was that _Marcel_? Klaus clenched his teeth and scowled in distaste at the sight of the man. Supressing the dislike he had for Marcel, he made his way over to them and put on a smile as he approached Caroline.

"Caroline, love," he said and she spun around to face him, her blonde hair whipping around her shoulders, "I was hoping to see you today."

He was pleased to see a bright smile light up her face at the sight of him, and her obvious nerves when she reached up to fix her curls back into place. He didn't say anything about it, but he could tell that she knew he had noticed. Her cheeks evidently turned a light shade of pink at that.

"And I was hoping to see you too." She said and he watched as she bit her bottom lip before reaching up and placing a kiss on his cheek. He couldn't help the smug smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Thank you for the flowers." She said quietly, just loud enough for him to hear. "They were beautiful."

"It was my pleasure sweetheart." He said honestly. "I'm glad you like them."

"I have a question though." She said and hooked her thumbs into the front pockets of her jeans. "Why white roses? Do they have a special meaning or something, or did you just like the look of them?"

Klaus raised a brow at her question. "Why are you asking?"

"Because I know you're all artsy and I just assumed that maybe you chose white because you're into all of that 'meaning behind everything' stuff." She said with an innocent smile as she rocked back and forth on her heels. Klaus chuckled lightly at her observation.

"If you must know, a white rose means several things. It can mean innocence, purity, I'm worthy of you." He raised a brow when he told her the last one, waiting to see her reaction, and he wasn't disappointed. Her jaw dropped and her breath hitched. The surprise was clear in her big, round blue eyes and her flushed cheeks. She looked as if she were about to reply to him, but Rebekah cut in.

"Earth to Caroline. _Hello?_ Are you going to talk to me or stare at Nik all day?"

Caroline looked over at Rebekah, her cheeks noticeably going even redder. It only assisted in making Klaus feel even smugger than before.

"Right, yeah, sorry Bekah." She said then turned back to Klaus before gesturing to Rebekah and Marcel. "Rebekah was just introducing us to her boyfriend Marcel." Caroline said casually and Klaus' mood instantly darkened. He felt his blood boil as he slowly moved his gaze from Caroline to Marcel. He narrowed his eyes into a deadly glare at the charismatic man sitting with his baby sister.

"Boyfriend?" he said, his voice dangerously low. "Is that so, Marcellus?"

Marcel looked momentarily uneasy, though he shook it off with a grin and a laugh. "It seems so, Klaus. I'm practically one of the family." He said gesturing widely to all of the Mikaelson's around him. Klaus set his jaw as he eyed Marcel, and he could tell that everyone could see he wasn't pleased.

"Apparently so."

"Nik, be nice." Rebekah warned him, but he swiftly dismissed the disapproval in her voice. He saw Rebekah shoot Caroline a silent but temporary glare before looking back at him. Klaus looked over at Caroline and saw that her face had paled. She clearly looked uncomfortable.

"Wow." Katherine interrupted, breaking the silence. "You can actually feel the awkward in the air." She said and grabbed at the air in front of her. Klaus was about to throw a snarky remark her way, but Elijah grabbed onto his arm and dragged him away from the group. Once they were out of earshot, Elijah turned Klaus around to face him.

"I know what you're plotting in that mind of yours, Niklaus." Elijah said, looking him dead in the eyes. "Don't even think about laying a finger on the boy. Our sister deserves some happiness in her life."

"She thinks she's in love with any man who gives her fifteen seconds of their attention." Klaus retorted before looking over at Marcel where he was speaking with Rebekah once again. "Marcellus and I have a rather sketchy history. I don't want him pulling Rebekah into it. I should have killed him long ago when he almost told the police I was The Hybrid." He said in a hushed voice.

"Well he didn't, so spare him for our sister's sake."

"I'll not endure him."

"He _shall_ be endured." Elijah replied harshly. Klaus responded with an irritable noise and ran a hand through his hair before looking back at his older brother and pointing an accusing finger at him.

"I will not stand for this. I won't put up with him any longer." He said through gritted teeth.

"Then put up with him for Caroline."

Klaus was taken aback by his brother's request momentarily before narrowing his eyes at him. "Caroline has nothing to do with this." He said, his voice dangerously low. "Leave her out of it."

"Niklaus," Elijah started, using a calm voice to try to ease his brother's temper, "Do you honestly think you can try to have a stable relationship with the girl if you lead a life like this? A successful relationship doesn't have secrets and lies in it, and you have plenty of those. You will only be hurting the girl in the near future because of your dishonesty and these life choices you've made, and you'll be hurting yourself."

Klaus felt his blood boil. He took a step toward his brother and put a hand on Elijah's shoulder, gripping it tightly just to prove how angry he was truly getting.

"Leave Caroline out of it, unless you want your precious Katerina to be next to go." He threatened. He watched as Elijah set his jaw at his threat, and Klaus couldn't help but smirk at his brother's silence, knowing that he had gotten his message across. Klaus patted Elijah condescendingly on the shoulder as he gave him a sadistic smile. "Nice chat, brother. Now if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to."

Klaus left Elijah standing there feeling conflicted. Elijah wanted his brother to stop his murderous ways, but he also wanted to keep Katerina safe. Could Elijah do that without the cost of Marcel's life? He did not know and he sure didn't want to find out.

Klaus made his way back over to Caroline who was back to chatting enthusiastically with the group. Klaus noticed Katherine eyeing him suspiciously as he walked back to Caroline's side before going over to speak with Elijah. Klaus shook off the brunette's intense glare and turned his attention back to Caroline, intentionally choosing to ignore Marcellus as if he were non-existent.

"Caroline," he started and rested a hand gently on her arm, "I was wondering if I could have the pleasure of your company again tomorrow afternoon, if you would so kindly accept." The blonde smiled at the offer and he could feel goose bumps rise on her skin as he started rubbing small circles on her arm with his thumb.

"Yeah, sure." She said with a nod of her head, her eyes shining. "I'd like that a lot."

Klaus smiled, pleased with his efforts and brought her hand to his lips for a kiss. "I will see you tomorrow afternoon sweetheart, but for now, I must go." He said and spared a glance in Rebekah and Marcel's direction. "I have some business to attend to."

* * *

**_Oooh_, what business do you need to attend to Klaus? I think we all know what business he's talking about!**

**Thank you for reading, my dears!**

**Celeste xoxo**


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